Mario & Luigi: The Seven Star Spirits
by nintendoscript15
Summary: After Bowser steals the mythical Star Rod of the Star Road, in addition to kidnapping the seven Star Spirits and Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi set off on their most ambitious and dramatic adventure to date.
1. Stealing the Star Rod

**HEADS-UP**

**This is nintendoscript15 here again. Have you ever played the first **_**Paper Mario**_** game for the Nintendo 64? You know, the first game of the series where everything was made of paper? Not in this adaptation; Luigi's coming along for the ride too. And now, here is "Mario & Luigi: The Seven Star Spirits".**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Stealing the Star Rod**

It's 2:00 AM on August 11, 2000. Far beyond the sky and above the clouds is a heavenly place called the Star Road, which was previously broken up into seven Star Pieces more than four years prior.

Fortunately; Mario, Peach, Bowser (who reluctantly joined the group to get his castle back from Smithy's gang), and two other companions collected the Star Pieces and put the Star Road back together.

Now, the Star Road has been at peace ever since everything was squared away. In the middle of the Star Road is a palace in which the Star Rod is kept. The Star Rod is a magical rod that grants the person wielding it any wish that he/she wants whether it's for the good or the evil.

Obviously, any sacred treasure must be guarded so as to not let anybody steal it in any way, shape, or form. So, there were seven Star Spirits: Eldstar, Mamar, Skolar, Muskular, Misstar, Klevar, and Kalmar; who guarded the Star Rod every hour, every day, every week, and so on and so forth.

But at this hour in the early morning, little did the Star Spirits or any of the inhabitants of the Star Road know that evil was afoot, heading towards the skies.

"Gwahahaha! It's finally time for me to take down my archenemy Mario the ultimate way: by the power of the Star Rod!" Bowser announced while piloting his airship stealthily towards the Star Road. His assistant, Kammy Koopa, stood by patiently until she's told to help execute Bowser's new plan.

Once Bowser stopped his airship about a hundred feet from the edge, he activated silencers on the propellers so that none of the Star Road inhabitants know their presence.

"All right, minions! On my go, fire at the palace!" Bowser ordered several Koopa Troopas, Dry Bones, and Hammer Bros.

"Yes, King Bowser!" the minions replied as they manned their posts at the airship's cannons.

"Three! Two! One! Fire!" Bowser exclaimed. Right on cue, a barrage of cannonballs flew towards the palace and blew away the left-side wall. Almost immediately, tens of Star Kids were woken up by the blast and scattered in different directions.

Kammy turned to Bowser and asked, "Shall I head down there, Your Evilness?"

"You sure may, Kammy!" Bowser replied. "And make sure to not let those Star Spirits stop you!"

Kammy summoned her broomstick and flew over to the damaged palace where the Star Rod was protected by a strong seal. Luckily for Kammy, her wand was powerful enough to break the seal with just one swing. As soon as the seal was shattered, all seven Star Spirits appeared and circled the Star Rod's podium.

"What do you think you are doing?" Eldstar demanded.

"I'm asking you to get out of my way!" Kammy answered.

"Never! We forbid evildoers like you to take the Star Rod!" Skolar said.

"Well, it's going down the easy or hard way. What's it gonna be?" Kammy raised her wand and pointed it directly at Eldstar.

"There is no easy or hard way. We're ordering you to leave the Star Road now," Mamar declared.

"Or else what?" Kammy taunted. Before the Star Spirits can retort back, Kammy casted a spell that sealed them inside seven different playing cards. She put away her wand, collected the Star Spirits' cards, and grabbed the Star Rod before flying back to Bowser's airship.

"Hehehe. That was too easy," Kammy boasted.

After Kammy set foot on the airship deck, Bowser approached Kammy and said, "Wow! I didn't expect you to nab the Star Spirits, but I'm proud of you for doing your duty!"

"Thanks, Your Vileness. Here you go." Kammy handed the cards and Star Rod to Bowser.

"What are we going to do with the Star Spirits?" Kammy asked Bowser.

"You just wait and see, Kammy. I'm always full of ideas," Bowser said while raising the Star Rod towards the sky.


	2. A Party at Peach's Castle

**Chapter 2: A Party at Peach's Castle**

Eight hours later, Mario and Luigi were fixing up their pad, sweeping the floors and wiping down everything they touched so as to not spread germs.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called from outside, "Mail call!"

It was Parakarry, who had just made his weekly mail delivery before flying off.

Luigi went towards the front door to get the mail, but Mario stopped him before he reached for the knob.

"Bro, why won't you let me get the mail this time?" Mario asked.

"Sorry, Mario. I'm already headed for the mailbox now. But I'll let you get it next time," Luigi said as he opened the front door and walked towards the mailbox. He looked inside to find a single letter.

"Hmm... Only one letter...?" Luigi wondered as he grabbed the envelope and went back inside the pad.

Before opening the door again, Luigi looked on the front of the envelope to see Peach's signature and the message "To Mario and Luigi" in the center.

"Mario! We've got a letter from Princess Peach." Luigi said. Mario immediately rushed into the dining room where Luigi was standing.

"Oh boy! What did she write to us?" Mario asked with excitement. Luigi opened the envelope to reveal the letter.

"Here you go, Mario. I'll let you read it," Luigi said as he handed Mario the letter.

"All right-y. Here's what she said," Mario stated as he began reading what Peach wrote to him and Luigi.

"Dear Mario and Luigi, I'm throwing a party at my castle today from 10:15 AM to 12:15 PM! It would totally make my day if you came and attended. With that being said, this letter is more of a party invitation rather than a simple form of communication via mail. Anyway, at today's get-together, several guests from different places around the Mushroom Kingdom are either hoping to meet you or reunite with you should they claim to have not kept in touch for a long period of time. On top of that, there will be a tasty brunch cooked by our chefs on the first floor and all kinds of entertainment will be featured alongside it. I hope to see you here soon! From, Princess Peach."

"This sounds exciting!" Mario remarked. "Let's-a go there now!"

"Sure thing, bro!" Luigi replied as both made their way out the front door towards the green Warp Pipe that leads to Toad Town. However, Luigi stopped in the doorway because he thought of something.

Mario turned to Luigi and asked, "Luigi? What are you standing there for?"

"I need to take care of something first."

"What is it?"

"Just go to the castle. I'll meet you there," Luigi said as he walked back inside the pad and shut the door.

"Okay. Fine," Mario replied with a sigh as he entered the Warp Pipe.

Following his entrance at Toad Town, he started off to Peach's castle immediately. It took ten minutes to arrive at the castle's front door. Mario opened it to see tens of Toads and random guests spread out all over the foyer, mingling with each other and getting themselves a quick bite to eat.

"Where's Princess Peach?" Mario asked himself as he gazed around the foyer, looking for Peach. He approached one of the Toads just to the left of the staircase leading to the second floor and asked him where Peach is.

"I have no idea, Mario. No one told me she would come out to greet us. But I'm glad that you're here anyway," the Toad explained.

"Before you ask, Luigi is running a bit late; he's taking care of personal stuff right now," Mario said.

"I understand. Well, enjoy the party, Mario," the Toad replied as he went off to talk with other guests.

Mario headed towards the room to the left of the rightmost wall where the brunch was being served. He selected a scoop of scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon, a cinnamon scone, and a cup of water.

Just as he walked to a random table to eat his meal, Luigi came into the castle with an unexpected guest.

Mario's eyes widened and he smiled really big because he recognized the guest immediately. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed.

Standing next to Luigi was none other than Jim Heeding, who is currently a 17-year-old soon-to-be high school senior. Mario immediately ran up to Jim and hugged him.

"Oh, Jim! I'm so happy to see you again!" Mario cried happily. Tears of joy rolled down his face.

"Me too, Mario," Jim replied. "I didn't know I was gonna be asked to come to a party like this."

"Look at you! You're all grown up!" Mario remarked.

"Yes, I am. In fact, I'm gonna be a senior in high school next month," Jim said, shocking Mario even more.

"What...the heck...?"

"You heard him, bro," Luigi chimed in. "I know it's hard to believe it. He hasn't seen us physically since he was eleven years old and we've only been talking on the phone ever since."

"But unfortunately, after the party's over, I might not see you two again for a long time. I have to concentrate on my college prep classes to get that scholarship and I need to get straight As to be that author I've always dreamed of being," Jim explained.

Mario was still at a loss for words, but deep down inside, he understood Jim's situation. He nodded his head in response.

"Okay..."

"Mario, it's fine. I'm sorry I shocked the daylights out of you," Jim said as he put his hand on Mario's shoulder.

"How about all of us enjoy the party together?" Luigi offered before turning to Jim. "What do you think, buddy?"

"I agree. Let's have some fun."

As the three of them walked to where Mario's food was, Mario turned to the staircase and stared at the door.

"What are you looking at, Mario?" Jim asked.

"Can you excuse me for a few minutes?" Mario questioned. He was still surprised at Jim's appearance.

"Sure. We'll be waiting down here when you've calmed down," Luigi replied.

As Mario walked towards the second floor's door, Jim began eating Mario's food without hesitation.

"Jim, come on! That's Mario's breakfast!" Luigi chided.

"He didn't even touch it," Jim protested.

* * *

Up at the second floor, Mario paid no mind to the other guests and made his way to the staircases leading to the third floor. There were two guards standing next to the door.

"Good morning, Mario," the first guard said. "Can we help you?"

"I'm looking for Princess Peach," Mario replied.

"We don't know where she is, but she might be through this door down the long hallway," the second guard said.

"Thank you so much."

The guards opened the door to allow Mario through. He made his way up another flight of stairs where another guard opened the door up ahead.

"Good morning, sir," Mario addressed the guard before walking through.

"Geez... I can't believe Jim actually came here..." Mario murmured. He looked all around the long hall for Peach.

Mario cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "HELLO? PRINCESS PEACH?"

When he reached the middle of the hall, Mario still saw no one and decided to head back to the foyer. Just as he turned around, someone tapped his shoulder.

"What the heck?" Mario turned to see Peach standing behind him. He gasped with shock again.

"Did I startle you, Mario? I'm so sorry," Peach said.

"I've already been startled before you found me," Mario stated. "Jim's at the party."

"Is that so? Well, I'd love to talk with Jim, but I'm not gonna be down there for a while," Peach replied.

"How come?"

"I'm a bit tired from, you know, greeting all those guests out there. However, I'm so glad you came to see me. I kind of knew that was gonna happen," Peach said.

"Well, here I am," Mario chuckled.

"You know, the castle filled up earlier than I expected, and it was just so crowded that I left even before the party actually started. But at least no one will bother us here." Peach took a few seconds to come up with an idea.

"Say, why don't we relax and chat, just the two of us?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Mario replied.

"That's excellent. It's actually pretty nice outside, so I'm sure it's comfortable out on the roof right now. Will you accompany me, please?" Peach offered.

"Sure."

Just before Mario and Peach could walk towards the stairs leading to the castle roof, everything started shaking violently, knocking both to the floor.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Peach yelled.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Mario exclaimed. They tried picking themselves up to no avail. Something underneath was creating the excessive shaking, but what was it?


	3. The Inevitable Defeat

**Chapter 3: The Inevitable Defeat**

Back down in the foyer and second floor, all the guests were frantically running around in the midst of the shaking, not knowing what to do, or trying to flee the castle. Luigi and Jim were also worried about what's going on, but they stayed still for now.

"What do we do?!" Luigi asked.

"Don't ask! Just get everyone out of here!" Jim ordered as both ran to help the guests out the front door.

"Everyone out this way!" Luigi yelled as he opened the second floor door. Jim stayed at the front door and led the guests out.

"Hurry!" Jim exclaimed.

Suddenly, the ground around the castle began to crack just as Luigi came running to the front door.

"Come on, Jim! Run!" Luigi cried.

"No!" Jim replied.

"Are you insane?!" Luigi retorted. "I said, 'Come with me!'"

"I've got to help everyone else out of this place!" Jim explained. "You leave now!"

"But... But..." Luigi hesitated.

"THAT'S AN ORDER, LUIGI! FREAKING GO!" Jim screamed at the top of his lungs. Luigi immediately ran outside while Jim resumed helping the guests escape.

Seconds later, steam and smoke rose up from the cracks before the castle began lifting off. There was nothing Jim could do at this point.

He turned to the rest of the guests running to the front door and yelled, "Don't move, guys!"

"Why?!" "Let us through!" the guests exclaimed.

"It's too late now! We're dead!" Jim replied while looking down at the ground. The castle was rising higher and faster towards the skies.

* * *

Back at ground level, Luigi stopped at the blue gate leading to Toad Town and saw what was underneath Peach's Castle.

Beneath the castle was a huge and monstrous gray-bricked structure with a gargoyle in the middle and an evil orange smiley face on the bottom. Two maces hung downwards and a giant jet engine on the bottom propelled the castle upwards.

Luigi couldn't believe what he was seeing. He immediately knew it was Bowser who was behind all this.

* * *

Back on the third floor, Mario and Peach tried again and again to stand back up, but the shaking kept pummeling them to the ground.

"I...can't...move..." Mario groaned.

After twenty more seconds, the shaking stopped and Mario and Peach collected themselves before finally standing back up.

"Are you okay, Princess Peach?" Mario asked.

"Yeah. Are you?" Peach replied

"I think so. What was even that?"

"You tell me," Peach said as she walked to the nearest window. The castle was now thousands of feet in the air, and even though the sky was mostly blue, a slight shade of blackness can be seen above.

"How high up are we?" Mario questioned.

"Really high. We're probably in the stratosphere," Peach answered.

Before Mario could approach the window too, the top of the window shattered and glass flew all over the place. Luckily, the glass didn't hit Mario and Peach.

Suddenly, Bowser flew in front of both in his Koopa Clown Car and jumped to the floor. Kammy followed right behind him.

"Well, well, well! Long time no see, Princess Peach!" Bowser announced.

"Bowser?! It can't be! Why would you make the ground shake and lift my castle so high up?!" Peach demanded.

"Bwahaha! Because I wanted to!" Bowser replied. "I've lifted your castle up into the sky, and it's sitting on my castle now! Weren't expecting that, huh?"

"What do you think?" Peach asked sarcastically.

"I think it's more awesome than my other plans are!" Bowser chuckled. "Now, this is my castle to control as well! And you will obey me whether you-" Bowser started, but Mario ran in front of Peach.

"Not over my dead body, Bowser!" Mario exclaimed.

"What?! Mario?! What a darn shock!" Bowser uttered. "Actually, I expected you to turn up, right on cue. You're just as annoying as ever."

"Wow. You're a downright hypocrite," Mario said. "What's annoying is all the times you held Princess Peach in the past."

"You heard him, Bowser!" Peach added in. "You should've learned your lesson way back when! Why don't you give up now?"

"Yes, I did have my issues in the past... But I DO know for a fact that today will be different! I swear!" Bowser declared. "Come at me, paisano!"

"Be careful, Mario!" Peach warned Mario as the battle commenced.

Mario jumped onto Bowser's head multiple times while Bowser clawed Mario. Most of the time, Bowser's attacks missed because Mario was able to dodge quickly. There were a few instances that Bowser did scratch Mario in the chest.

Eventually, Bowser stopped fighting and said, "Good old Mario... Never giving up."

"You're darn right I don't!" Mario agreed.

"You know what? Because you've always been a thorn in my side for as long as I can remember, I'm going to make my next move even better than your pathetic little jumps," Bowser explained.

"What, are you gonna claw me again and claim you're invincible?" Mario taunted.

"Think again, Mario!" Bowser took out the Star Rod and pointed it to the ceiling. "Take a look at this! It's the Star Rod: one of the most powerful weapons I stole!"

"Did you take that from-" Mario began to ask before Bowser interrupted him.

"Yes, I did! I took it from the Star Road earlier this morning!" Bowser exclaimed. "This fine piece of work has the power to grant any wish in the whole world, including mine! And when I use the Star Rod to increase my strength, even you can't beat me! Watch this!"

Without hesitation, Bowser casted a spell that made a bright shield surround his entire body. Mario had to cover his eyes because the light almost blinded him. As soon as he lowered his hand, Mario knew he was gonna lose.

"Gwahahahaha! How about that, Mario?!" Bowser asked. Before Mario could resume fighting, Bowser ran up to him and punched him straight in the face, knocking Mario to the ground.

"AAAAGGGHHH!" Mario cried in agony. He clutched his jaw because the punch injured it and made it a bit hard for him to open his mouth.

"Bwahahaha! Is that all you've got? How sad! You'd best take some vitamins because you can't hurt me now!" Bowser boasted as Mario slowly stood back up.

Mario held out his hands, begging Bowser to stop the fight, but Bowser charged him again. This time, Bowser grabbed Mario's legs and pushed them forward, causing Mario to fall on his face. The landing hurt his jaw even more, effectively ending the battle with Bowser's victory.

Mario was crying so hard due to the injury and Peach ran up to Mario's side. She was also crying, having seen Mario get hurt badly.

"Oh my God! Mario, get up! Please!" Peach sobbed. Bowser cackled with glee because he finally defeated Mario for once in his life.

"Yes, yes, yes! I finally did it, Kammy! Whoo!" Bowser shouted.

"Congratulations, Your Viciousness! That's why you're the king!" Kammy replied as Bowser took out the Star Rod again.

"I am indeed! As long as I have this Star Rod, everything I wish will come true! No one can stop me now!" Bowser and Kammy turned to Mario and Peach.

"Let's get rid of Mario, shall we?" Kammy asked.

"Good idea, Kammy. He's no good to anyone now, that's for sure."

With the Star Rod in his hand, Bowser casted another spell, which created a giant lightning bolt that hit Mario. The bolt's shockwave sent Mario flying out the broken window.

"NOOO!" Peach yelled as she ran to the window and helplessly watched Mario fall to the ground below.

Kammy then called out to two Koopatrols, "Guards, take Princess Peach to her room! Now!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the Koopatrols replied as they picked up Peach and took her to her room.

* * *

Meanwhile, more Koopatrols on the first and second floors began capturing all the remaining party guests including Jim.

"Get your hands off me!" Jim yelled as two Koopatrols forced his hands behind his back before handcuffing his wrists tightly.

"OW! My wrists! You're cutting-" Jim started to complain before being pushed out the front door.

"MARIO! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Jim called out as he was led into Bowser's castle underneath alongside the guests.


	4. Goomba Village

**Chapter 4: Goomba Village**

It's been twenty minutes since Mario was defeated by the new and improved Bowser, who threw Mario out of Peach's castle, leaving him to fall thousands of feet to the ground below.

Unfortunately, Mario was killed because of the hard impact; even though he's always been a superhuman, it's apparently impossible to survive a long fall like that. A few moments later, the seven Star Spirits in their ghostly forms appeared above Mario and circled around him. Mamar and Kalmar lowered themselves to inspect Mario's condition.

"Oh my goodness! I don't think he'll recover from that fall! He's dead!" Mamar said with despair.

"And Bowser now has the Star Rod! He's mightier than Mario is!" Kalmar added in. "It's hopeless! All is lost!"

"Everybody just calm down," Eldstar butted in as Mamar and Kalmar rejoined the other Star Spirits. "As long as we keep it together there's always hope."

"Our fates are in Mario's hands. We must try to revive him, everyone. Send Mario your power now!" Almost immediately, the Star Spirits burst their magic into Mario's body until all their power was exhausted.

"Whew... That does it..." Eldstar said with a sigh. "That's all we can do right now. Please, Mario... Please get up..." Within seconds, all the Star Spirits disappeared in thin air.

Suddenly, Mario started breathing again, but he was still unconscious. The Star Spirits successfully managed to revive him, even after they were kidnapped. It wasn't long before a girl Goomba walked into the area Mario crashed in and was looking around to find where the thud came from.

"It really sounded like something fell somewhere around here..." she said. "Wait- Who is that right there?"

Having spotted Mario, the girl Goomba ran up to him and examined his outfit.

"This red shirt, this cap, these overalls, and this mustache... This really looks like the one and only Mario!" she thought to herself before realizing it might actually be THE Mario.

"Hold on... Is this the REAL Mario...?" The girl Goomba began nudging him to wake up. "Hey! Hey! Wake up! C'mon! Up and at 'em!"

But Mario didn't wake up; he unconsciously laid still.

"Oh no! He won't wake up! Wh-What am I gonna do?!" the girl Goomba cried. She ran out to get her family. "Dad! Goompa! Goombario!"

* * *

"_Watch this!" Bowser announced as casted a spell that made a bright shield surround his entire body. Mario covered his eyes because the light almost blinded him. As soon as he lowered his hand, Mario knew he was gonna lose._

"_Gwahahahaha! How about that, Mario?!" Bowser asked. Before Mario could resume fighting, Bowser ran up to him and clawed his face in twice._

"_AAAAGGGHHH!" Mario cried in agony. He grabbed his face because it was throbbing in pain._

"_Bwahahaha! Is that all you've got? How sad! You'd best take some vitamins because you can't hurt me now!" Bowser boasted._

"_Please...! Please, Bowser...! Don't hurt me anymore...!" Mario whimpered as he held out his hands, begging Bowser to stop the fight. But Bowser charged him again and punched Mario's face as hard as he can._

* * *

"WAAAHHHH!" Mario screamed at the top of his lungs as he sat upright in a split second. He just had a nightmare about the ill-fated fight earlier.

"What... What the heck...?" Mario panted as his looked everywhere to make sure he was safe before sighing with relief. "Okay... It was just a nightmare..."

Suddenly, Mario realized that he was still alive. "I... I'm not dead! Why?!" he said to himself. Mario then pressed his hand against his jaw; it didn't even hurt. "My jaw's okay!"

"Wait... Where's my cap?" Mario sifted through his scalp to confirm that his cap was taken off.

Before he could get up from the bed he was sleeping on, a calm and elderly voice spoke up, "Mario... Are you okay, Mario...?"

Mario turned to see Eldstar in front of him. "Uh... Yeah... Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Eldstar, a Star Spirit... I have something very important to tell you… It concerns the princess...and all of the Mushroom Kingdom…" Eldstar explained.

"Are you saying that Princess Peach is convinced that I'm dead?"

"I haven't the strength to answer your questions, Mario... I need you...to come to Star Hill... Please...Mario... Come find us there..." Eldstar said before disappearing in thin air.

"All right-y. I guess I have no choice," Mario stated before getting out of bed to turn on the lights. It's revealed that he's inside an Inn, whose sister locations are run by various Toads in addition to the one he's in. Mario found his cap on the floor to the bed's right side and put it back on.

"Feels better now," Mario sighed, relieved that he's wearing his cap again. Suddenly, the Inn's door opened, and a Toad walked in. Mario immediately recognized who he was: one of Peach's retainers named Ben T.

"Ben! Oh, I'm so happy to see you again!" Mario exclaimed as he approached Ben.

"Yeah! I'm glad to see you finally awake!" Ben replied. "You haven't opened your eyes for four hours! Plus, you took a huge beating!"

"More than that," Mario corrected Ben. "Bowser hit my jaw while we battled each other at Princess Peach's castle and he threw me out the window, after which I fell a long way. I must've died on the landing."

"That's sad. I heard that the princess's castle was lifted into the sky," Ben said.

"So, where am I at?" Mario asked.

"This place? You are at an Inn, which is a small hotel that is run by Toads like me. And this Inn is within a small village called Goomba Village, which is stationed west of Toad Town. The only residents are me and a single family of Goombas," Ben explained.

"But don't be alarmed, Mario. These Goombas are just the nicest folks you'll ever meet. They're the ones who found you unconscious in the forest and carried you here to get better. Good thing the mother had nursing experience."

"That's interesting. I'll thank them after I leave this Inn," Mario said. "What's weird is when I woke up, some mustached star instructed me to go to Star Hill. Did you see him floating around earlier today?"

"A Star with a mustache? You're saying a Star told you to go to Star Hill?"

"Yes. And I need to be on my way right now."

"I'm sorry, but I never saw anything like that. And I sure didn't see anyone come in or out of this Inn. I wonder, Mario... Maybe you just had a dream?" Ben questioned. The last sentence made Mario crack up.

"A d-dream?" Mario chortled as he collapsed on the ground. "Y-you don't b-believe it's r-real?"

"Well, I guess you might be right," Ben admitted. "It could have been some sort of message from a Star Spirit, and Star Spirits live at the Star Road." Mario stood back up, having composed himself a tad bit.

"You know what? I just realized that it makes total sense because Star Hill is the closest place to the Star Road. In any case, I'm pleased to see you've recovered."

"Thank you so much, Ben. You have a nice day," Mario said before leaving the Inn. He eyeballed the gate on his left-hand side and walked towards it. A middle-aged Goomba was standing next to it; he turned to see Mario behind him.

"Oh! Howdy, Mario! Feeling better?" the Goomba asked.

"I feel like I've been given a second chance at life," Mario answered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Goompapa. Anything I can do for you?"

"Well, I have an errand to run at Star Hill, so do you mind letting me through?" Mario requested.

"You know, I'd love to let you leave immediately, but you'll have to wait a bit. I have to fix this gate before you can head out to the east," Goompapa said.

"Why is that?"

"Because the gate pins fell off due to the quake earlier this morning. It's been hard putting them back into place. Geez... It felt like the sky was falling..."

"All right-y. I'll be back soon," Mario said. He made his way into the big house and explored the inside before going through another door that led to the veranda. An elderly Goomba was working on the railings.

"Excuse me, sir?" Mario asked. The Goomba turned around abruptly in a startled manner.

"Whoa! You startled me!" he exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, kid," the Goomba said. "Guests are always welcome here. The name's Goompa; I'm Goompapa's father and the children's grandfather. So, you've awakened at last, eh?"

"Yeah. Ben over at your Inn said I was out for four hours."

"Wow. That's a long time," Goompa remarked. "I'd love to talk with you more, but I'm fixing up the veranda right now."

"Okey-dokey. See you, Goompa," Mario said before walking through the house back to the front yard. A teenage Goomba was standing next to the door to greet him.

"Hi, Mario. Dad was looking for you. He said to tell you that he finished fixing the gate."

"Thank you. What's your name?" Mario questioned.

"I'm Goombario. I've heard all about you and Luigi's travels. So, I guess you're travelling east to Toad Town and Star Hill?"

"I sure am," Mario replied.

Mario and Goombario walked up to the gate, which was fully repaired.

"Whew! What a job! Sorry to have kept you waiting, Mario," Goompapa said.

"It's okay. Did you double-check everything?" Mario asked.

"Everything looks good. Too bad you can't stay... I feel like I just met you! But duty calls, I know. Come back and visit if you can."

"Best of luck, Mario," Goombario told Mario.

"Thanks, guys," Mario bid Goompapa and Goombario goodbye. Suddenly, before Mario could open the gate, an evil laugh echoed from above. Seconds later, Kammy flew in front of the gate.

"Bleah heh heh heh... Ah, my instincts were right..." Kammy stated. "Mario... I can't believe you're on your feet after King Bowser beat you up. You're a hardy one, all right. I was smart to come here to check on you."

Goombario turned to Goompapa and asked, "Uh, Dad? Who's that weird witch floating in front of us?"

"Weird? You little brat! I am a beautiful Magikoopa with a beautiful name: Kammy! I wish I had time to teach you a lesson, but you're not who I'm here for," Kammy told Goombario. "And as for you, Mario, it's useless for you to try to save Princess Peach. Ridiculous! Laughable!"

"You know what's laughable? It's your ugly face because I'm sick of it," Mario quipped.

"Oh, I have an ugly face?" Kammy questioned with sarcasm. "Yeah, I sure do. Anyway, as you have seen, King Bowser is more powerful than even you can deal with this time. Here's a gift from him!"

Kammy raised her wand in the air and formulated a Yellow Block, which she dropped on the ground hard enough to destroy the gate.

"Hey! I was just about to leave this place!" Mario chided.

"Sorry. There's nothing you can do now," Kammy said. "You will kneel and weep when you see the wonderful changes King Bowser's made! Your world is ours now! Bleah heh ho hyuck heh heh HA!" Kammy began to fly back to Bowser and Peach's castles.

"I can't believe what just happened," Mario told Goompapa.

"I know, right?" Goompapa acknowledged Mario. "Kammy, that fiend! Did you hear what she said about the princess? It didn't sound good. I hope nothing's happened to her."

"I hate to break it to you, but Princess Peach got kidnapped again," Mario said.

"Are you kidding me?! This is unbelievable!" Goompapa exclaimed. "Is that why you're going to Star Hill?"

"Yes, it is."

"Hmmmm... This could be a problem," Goompapa wondered.

"Dad, we have to do something! Mario has to save Princess Peach! No one else can do it but him and Luigi!" Goombario persuaded Goompapa.

"You're right. But first, we have to get rid of this block."

"Any ideas?" Mario asked.

"One second..." Goompapa mulled things over for a few seconds. "Oh, I got it! Maybe you can break this block with my dad's hammer! He has it in his toolbox, which he took to fix the veranda. Go ask him for it, will you?"

"Okey-dokey. I'll be right back," Mario said as he began to walk through the house towards the veranda.


	5. Jr Troopa's Playground

**Chapter 5: Jr. Troopa's Playground**

"YYAAAAAHAHAHAHA!" Mario screamed as he fell to the ground below. He opened the back door, hoping to see if Goompa would let him borrow his hammer, but Mario lost his footing immediately and fell face-first.

Luckily, Mario didn't get too hurt upon landing despite his head throbbing in pain for about ten seconds. He got up and checked his surroundings; the veranda had just crashed because of the shockwave created by Kammy dropping the Yellow Block on the front gate. Seconds later, he realized that Goompa fell as well and found him lying next to a tree.

"Goompa! Are you okay?" Mario asked after approaching him.

"Oh, my back..." Goompa mumbled before hearing Mario's voice. "Huh? Mario? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Let me help you," Mario said while helping Goompa off the ground.

"I remember a great crashing noise and then the veranda collapsed, and I fell. Did you fall too?"

"I did. I thought the veranda was out in front until I stepped into thin air, apparently. But I didn't hear anything after the front gate was destroyed," Mario explained.

"Hold on... The front gate's destroyed?"

"You heard me. Some Magikoopa named Kammy flew in and dropped this yellow block on the gate. Maybe that was what caused the veranda to collapse."

"Oh man... That's not good," Goompa said before eyeballing another Yellow Block in front. "What's even worse is that this block is in our way too." Goompa and Mario approached the block.

"Why is that block here?" Mario asked.

"I don't know. Maybe that magic... Um... Whoever it was you said put more of these blocks all over the place," Goompa replied.

"Do you have your toolbox with you? I need to borrow your hammer to break this block and the one up there."

"I thought I had it with me..." Goompa said. "Give me a second." Goompa walked around for a couple seconds, only to find nothing.

"Hm! Nowhere to be seen by the naked eye. I guess it must have fallen in the small forest behind us." Goompa turned to a small forest to Mario's right-hand side.

"All right-y. Let's look in there," Mario declared as both walked into the forest to find the hammer. Inside the forested area were a bunch of trees and bushes scattered all over the place.

"I think the hammer might be inside one of those bushes. Let's rummage through them," Goompa said as both split up and began to sift through the bushes. After a half-minute, Mario looked up to see if Goompa found anything, only to see a concerned look on this face.

"What's wrong, Goompa?" Mario asked.

"I have a bad feeling about something..." Goompa started. "I just remembered we're in Jr. Troopa's playground. He's this neighborhood bully who never came out of his eggshell at birth. Over the years, J.T. stole numerous possessions from us, but Goompapa always managed to track him down and take back what was stolen."

"Is Jr. Troopa hiding around here? I mean, is he gonna pop out at us any minute now?"

"Maybe not, but J.T. is known to be quick and sly, so it's still possible. Let's keep looking for the hammer," Goompa stated before both resumed searching.

Another half-minute passed before Mario saw a wooden handle deep within a bush attached to the leftmost tree. He immediately pulled it out, revealing Goompa's hammer.

"Yahoo! I found it!" Mario exclaimed with excitement.

"Oh! There we go! That's it! That's my hammer!" Goompa said. "I'll wager that if you use that hammer, you can break the block that's in our way as well as the one that destroyed the gate,"

"That's fantastic. Let's head back to your village," Mario and Goompa proceeded to walk right out of the forested area with Goompa leading the way.

"Youch!" Suddenly, Goompa was knocked back and hit the rightmost tree. Mario ran up to him.

"What happened?" Mario questioned.

"It's him..." Goompa murmured. Right on cue; Jr. Troopa, who's mostly encased in his eggshell, stormed into his playground.

"Hey! What are you two doing?!" Jr. Troopa demanded.

"Calm down. We were just looking for something," Mario said.

"Who gives a shack? This is my playground! Not yours!" Jr. Troopa shouted. "No one sets foot in here without my permission! Do you hear me?"

"We're not deaf, Jr. Troopa. Can you let us leave now?"

"Not without a fight, trespasser! I'll bet you you'll be crying at my feet after this!"

"Crying at your feet? I'm man enough to not cry like a little baby!" Mario announced. "You know what you are? You have more tree bark than a bite of pizza!"

"BURN!" Goompa uttered, knowing that Jr. Troopa was roasted.

"Excuse me? What did you call me?" Jr. Troopa asked.

"I didn't say anything," Mario lied.

"Oh, you sick jokester! You asked for it!" Jr. Troopa yelled as he went to stomp on Mario's head. Mario jumped out of the way, causing Jr. Troopa to slip and fall upon landing.

"Excellent, Mario! Keep it going!" Goompa cheered. Mario returned the favor by jumping on Jr. Troopa's head, and even though the shell didn't crack, Jr. Troopa fell forward before quickly getting back up.

"Grrrr! I'm just getting warmed up!" Jr. Troopa grumbled.

"Warmed up?" Mario quipped. "Are you saying you're warming yourself in a pot of boiling water to get eaten for breakfast?"

"STOP IT NOW!" Jr. Troopa shouted as he tried to stomp on Mario's head again. Acting fast, Mario held his fist in the air; Jr. Troopa landed on it with his crotch and fell on his back, having been defeated officially.

"That was a wonderful and funny fight, Mario! I'm impressed!" Goompa remarked.

"You can say that again," Mario acknowledged Goompa. "I sometimes like to add a little humor during a battle." Jr. Troopa got back up in a hurry, thinking he can walk off the pain.

"You may have put me down, Mario, but I'll be back before you know it!" Jr. Troopa declared as he ran away, but he came back a couple seconds later shouting, "I mean it! I'll be back!"

"Enough already! Just get the heck out!" Mario yelled as he shoved Jr. Troopa out of the playground.

"Okay. All we have to do now is break that block just across from this forest and we're good to go," Goompa said.

Without further hesitation, Mario and Goompa walked up to the Yellow Block again before Mario broke it with Goompa's hammer.

"How long is it gonna take to rebuild that veranda?" Mario asked as both began to walk the long path back to Goomba Village.

"Oh geez... It took almost three months to build it once Goompapa first bought the property. You see, there was no veranda originally. It was until the beginning of construction that where the door is today was once a small window," Goompa explained.

"I understand. Most houses have a veranda for people to sit and relax on a pretty day."

"Right you are." After about six minutes, Goompa and Mario arrived at the village's back gate. "Hey, kids! I'm back home!" Goompa called out, prompting Goombario and his sister Goombaria to run up to the gate.

"Let me open this for you. It always has to be locked so as to keep out any bad guys," Goompa told Mario before unlocking the gate. As soon as both entered the village, Goompa locked the gate again.

"Where have you been, Goompa? I looked outside and both you and the veranda just disappeared!" Goombario said.

"Goompa, I was very, very worried about you! Really worried!" Goombaria cried with concern.

"Sorry, kids. I didn't mean to make you fret. Mario told me of this block that destroyed the front gate. When it was dropped, it somehow made the veranda go down with me. Thankfully, I was not seriously injured," Goompa explained.

"But what matters most is we're safe and sound," Mario chimed in.

"Now, before I forget, I have to give you something important, Mario. Wait here," Goompa said before walking in the house.

"Say, Mario, can I share something with you?" Goombario asked Mario.

"Sure. What is it?"

"I've heard that you and Luigi always seem to beat up enemies without a problem. What's your secret?"

"Simple answer: me and Luigi are superhumans, but we're not like those fictional comic book heroes like Superman or Captain America," Mario explained. "I used to read those comics back where I grew up in another world."

"That's cool. For me, I study self-defense by reading books by the masters and listening to Dad and Goompa very intently. I've also been exercising four times a week so that I can be buffed up just like you," Goombario said. "Speaking of which, I think my muscles can be seen without me even flexing!"

"Yeah, Goombario's head is hard as a rock now! Tee hee! I know he would never headbonk me, but I know it hurts so bad!" Goombaria added in.

"Can it, Goombaria! Seriously!" Goombario retorted. "She does have a point, though. I never dare headbonk any of my peers or relatives, whether it's by intention or by self-defense," he told Mario.

"Good choice. Always resort your uncanny abilities to fending off evil."

Just as Goombario finished talking about his headbonk abilities, Goompa came out with a Fire Flower. Mario immediately became thrilled.

"Oh boy! Where did you get that from?!" Mario asked.

"I found this flower a couple days ago, but I didn't know how to use it, so I thought I'd give it to you," Goompa said as he handed the Fire Flower to Mario, who stowed it in his overalls pocket. "It's basically a thank-you for what you've done and what you're going to do later on."

"Why, thank you so much!" Mario replied.

"By the way; I heard from Gooma, the kids' grandmother, that you're taking it upon yourself to try to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches."

"Of course, I am. Why do you ask?" Mario questioned.

"Because I want you to keep the hammer you used to destroy that block back there. It should serve you well," Goompa said.

"But it's YOUR hammer, Goompa," Mario argued.

"I know, but I have the money to purchase another one for myself. If you tried to take down Bowser without a weapon, you're literally dead with no chance of revival," Goompa explained.

"He's right, Mario," Goombario added in. "You've been given a second shot at life. Do you want to waste it?"

"No, I do not."

"Good man," Goompa said with satisfaction. "Now, if I were just a bit younger, I'd accompany you on your trip. I'd have done some damage! The years have started to weigh on me, though. My back has been aching constantly..."

"Adventure... You're so lucky! Princess-rescuing is so cool! I really want to be an adventurer someday!" Goombario exclaimed.

"Me too!" Goombaria agreed, concerning Mario.

"Isn't Goombaria a bit too young?" Mario asked Goompa.

"She is, but... Oh! Here's an idea! Goombario?"

"Yes?"

"Perhaps the timing is perfect. You are no longer a child, and evil times are upon us. You shall accompany Mario," Goompa stated.

"What?! Really?! You're letting me go with him?!" Goombario uttered with shock.

"Of course! Why wouldn't you?"

"OH MY GOODNESS! THANK YOU SO MUCH, GOOMPA!" Goombario shouted before turning to Mario. "You won't regret this, Mario!"

"I guess I won't, Goombario. Welcome to the team," Mario acknowledged Goombario.

"Mario, I know Goombario will prove to be a worthy companion. His knowledge about almost everything will guide you along the way," Goompa said.

"That's because I was born with a huge brain."

"All right. I think it's about time for my nap. I hate goodbyes because they make me too sad..." Goompa proceeded to walk back into the house.

"Good luck, Goombario!" Goombaria bid Goombario goodbye.

"Thanks. I love you," Goombario replied. "Okay, Mario! Let's do this!"

"Actually, there's one other thing we need to take care of first," Mario reminded Goombario, who remembered the gate destruction.

"Oh, right. That witch dropped that block on the front gate."

Mario ran up to the Yellow Block and smashed it with his hammer. Goompapa sighed with relief in response.

"There we go. Problem solved," Mario remarked.

"Thanks for your help, Mario," Goompapa said. "I knew you could do it. Now, I do have a feeling your road will be lined with difficulties, so try not to overdo it. Be watchful, yet stay cool. A calm mind is the wisest."

"Okey-dokey. Well, until next time," Mario said as he waved goodbye to Goompapa.

"Come back soon."

And so, Mario and Goombario walked east towards Toad Town, beginning their journey to Star Hill.


	6. Invading Goomboss's Fortress

**Chapter 6: Invading Goomboss's Fortress**

Rewinding back to 10:25 AM, several minutes after Peach's castle was lifted into the sky, Luigi sat in the basement of Mario's Pad, writing in his diary about what just happened.

"Dear Diary; well, today's party was a bust. Princess Peach just got kidnapped again, Mario's up there trying to save her; and worst of all, my best buddy Jim stayed behind trying to save the party guests when he had the chance to run away. I don't know what all three of them are going through, but I pray to God that they're in safe hands and unharmed. Please do something. I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life. From, Luigi."

After finishing his entry, Luigi closed his diary, went back upstairs, and laid in the bottom bunk of him and Mario's bunk bed. He sighed with worry.

"Please, Mario, Princess Peach, and Jim... Whatever's going on up there, please don't get hurt... I love you guys..."

* * *

Going back to when Mario and Goombario left Goomba Village for Toad Town four and a half hours later, they fought off various Goombas and Paragoombas that stood in their way and talked with each other more about their pasts.

"You know, one of the reasons why the front gate was locked was not just to keep out bad guys, but also because there's this fortress near the end of Goomba Road," Goombario said when they passed the halfway point of Goomba Road. "Mom and Dad warned me and Goombaria not to take this path should any of us go outside of Goomba Village, so we always took a shortcut that went around the fortress."

"Well, now that you're all grown up, don't you think we should infiltrate this fortress? I think we should," Mario suggested.

"You like reading my mind, don't you? I've had an ambition to see who ran that place before my eyes."

Several minutes later, Mario and Goombario came across a small cliff and prepared to climb it before two young voices bellowed out, "Hey! Hey! You hold it right there!" "Yeah you, suspicious guy! Don't move!"

Two colored Goombas, both blue and red respectively, approached the cliff edge.

"Aha! You must be Mario! I knew it!" the red Goomba said. "You can't go past here, dude!"

"Who says I can't?" Mario asked.

"It's a direct order from Goomboss," the blue Goomba replied.

"That's right! And the only way is to get through us: the Goomba Bros.!" the red Goomba added in.

"The Goomba Bros.?" Goombario questioned. "Are you obsessed with Mario and Luigi or something? Because you saying that sounds like a rip-off."

"A rip-off?! How dare you call us that!" the blue Goomba shouted. "Let's get them, Red!" The Goomba Bros. jumped off the cliff, ready to battle Mario and Goombario.

"Hey, Mario! How'd you like some of this?" Blue Goomba teased before attempting to headbonk Mario. Mario placed his hammer under Blue Goomba's head, hurting him badly upon landing on the hammer.

"OUCH! MY HEAD!" Blue Goomba cried. "YOU'RE SO MEAN!" Blue Goomba immediately climbed the cliff and ran away to Goomboss's fortress, sobbing his eyes out. Red Goomba is distraught at what just happened.

"One down, one to go," Mario said.

"How could you do such a thing to my little brother, Mario?! I ought to make you pay!" Red Goomba shouted as he prepared to charge Mario and Goombario. Just as Red Goomba jumped forwards, Goombario headbonked him hard enough for him to fly into the cliffside. It didn't hurt Red Goomba that much, though.

"Okay. I'll give you credit, dude. That was a good move," Red Goomba remarked. "But I'm not done yet!" Red Goomba tried to do the same attack as before, but Mario swung his hammer like a baseball bat and flung Red Goomba into the cliffside again; this time, it hurt Red Goomba enough for him to surrender.

"N-NOT ME TOO! GEEAAAAH! Fine! I... I'll let you go for now!" Red Goomba yelled as he fled to Goomboss's fortress.

"What a bunch of childish brats," Mario remarked.

"Yeah. I expected them to be way tougher," Goombario replied. Both climbed up the cliff and chased after the Goomba Bros. to the fortress.

* * *

15 minutes later, the Goomba Bros. arrived at the fortress's front door crying, "Goomboss! Help us!" "Mario beat us up!" The front door opened, and both ran inside.

Upon reaching the fortress, Mario and Goombario gazed up at the central tower.

"So, this is the fortress you were talking about earlier?" Mario asked.

"Yup. Dad told me that this fortress was built about a year ago and the main bridge leading to Toad Town was torn down at the same time," Goombario said. "Ever since then, Red and Blue Goomba were commanded by Goomboss to take out any intruders that attempted to find the bridge or invade the fortress. Goompa was one of them, but he returned back alive-" Suddenly, a series of loud thumps interrupted Goombario's story.

"What the heck is that?" Mario asked.

"I don't know." As the thumping grew louder and louder, Goombario realized who it was. "Is that...?"

The Goomba Bros. and their leader Goomboss jumped on the fortress seconds later. Red and Blue Goomba had a couple bruises on them from the previous battle.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the man who hurt my Goomba Bros.," Goomboss announced. "I do respect your progress, though. You've come a long way, but this is as far as you'll ever get. Why? Because I, Goomboss, will ensure that you advance no further! Am I clear?"

"No!" Mario replied. "I'll never obey anyone like you!"

"You might want to reconsider, Mario. I'm stronger than you think I am," Goomboss said.

"You hear that, dude? No further! Not one step! Are you scared now?" Red Goomba taunted.

"Yeah, you're scared, all right! You better apologize for what you did back there!" Blue Goomba yelled.

"We're not sorry, Blue and Red!" Goombario answered. "You deserved what you got!"

"Yeah! You're no match for us!" Mario added in. "You better get ready!"

"All right! I'll show you my wrath if that's what you want!" Goomboss said.

"Beat him up, Goomboss!" "We've got your back!" Red and Blue Goomba told Goomboss.

"Leave him to me!"

Goomboss and the Goomba Bros. leapt in front of Mario and Goombario, ready to battle them.

"Hey, Mario," Goombario whispered. "I think maybe we ought to take out the Goomba Bros. first, don't you think? They must be pretty weak by now."

While Goombario explained his plan, Mario eyeballed a Spiky Goomnut tree to his left. "You're a genius."

Just as the Goomba Bros. charged at Mario and Goombario similar to how they did back then, Mario kicked Blue Goomba while Goombario headbonked Red Goomba, sending them flying through the fortress's front door.

Goomboss turned to see Red and Blue Goomba struggling to get back up before shouting at Mario, "How about I squash you, huh?"

Before Goomboss could stomp him flat, Mario hammered the Spiky Goomnut tree, causing a large Spiky Goomnut to land on Goomboss and knock his crown off his head. Goomboss became dizzy for a short while before shaking it off.

At the same time, the Goomba Bros. ran back outside. Mario and Goombario took the short opportunity to attack them again.

"Don't move another step!" Mario ordered while he grasped Red and Blue Goomba's feet.

"What are you doing?!" "Let us go!" Red and Blue Goomba pleaded.

Mario proceeded to throw them into the air before shouting, "FORE!" Mario swung his hammer at Blue Goomba while Goombario headbonked Red Goomba. Both were sent flying at a fast speed into the chasm behind the fortress and fell to their doom.

Having heard Red and Blue Goomba scream as they fell, Goomboss felt defeated and stood still in astonishment. "Wha-?! First you knock my crown off, and then you kill my Goomba Bros.?!"

"That's what we did," Mario replied.

"Urgh...! Screw this! I'm done with you!" Goomboss roared as he ran back into his fortress. Goombario and Mario jumped for joy.

"Great job, Goombario!" Mario complimented Goombario.

"Yeah! Victory is ours!"

After their short celebration, Mario and Goombario approached the chasm and looked at the other side.

"I was just thinking: what if the bridge didn't actually get torn down, but they made up that story just to make everyone turn back?" Mario asked.

"Maybe the bridge was hidden underneath the fortress really good," Goombario answered.

"Well, if you want to hide a bridge like so, it's impossible without activating-" Mario stopped mid-sentence because he spotted a blue object partially hidden in a bush out the corner of his eye.

"A switch!" Mario and Goombario said in unison. Mario ran up to the switch and pulled it out of the bush.

"If this isn't the right switch, it's probably somewhere in the fortress," Mario stated.

"Let's find out."

Mario took out his hammer hit the switch, causing it to disappear in a split-second. Suddenly, Goomboss jumped on the very top of the central tower and boomed out, "Hey, Mario!"

"What? I thought you were done with me!" Mario argued.

"I was! But I forgot to congratulate you on your victory down there."

"Is that sarcasm?" Goombario asked.

"No! I'm as truthful as can be. One more thing, though. If you happen to find a strange switch somewhere, you should definitely not press it. It's dangerous. Am I clear?" Goomboss ordered.

"You mean that blue one I just pressed a few seconds ago?" Mario questioned.

"Yeah! You should stay away from it and-" Goomboss stopped mid-sentence, having realized that Mario already pressed the switch. "YOU WHAT?!"

"I said I pushed that blue switch! Did you not hear me?!" Mario yelled as the ground began to rumble.

"NO! NO! NO!" Goomboss cried. The rumbling intensified, causing the tower's ring to slowly fall off towards Mario and Goombario. At this point, Goomboss froze in fear and disbelief.

"Holy crap!" "Whoa!" Mario and Goombario shouted as they moved out of the way. Just as the tower ring rolled into the cliff, the exterior of the tower crumbled down, revealing a folded-up bridge. The bridge extended upwards with Goomboss standing on top.

"I'm sorry, King Bowser! I tried my hardest!" Goomboss wailed. The bridge tipped over and landed in the between the chasm cliffs. During the tip over, Goomboss fell off and hit the eastern cliff before plummeting to his death.

"Wow. I didn't know Goomboss used that bridge as part of his fortress," Mario said.

"Me neither. Shall we continue on to Star Hill?" Goombario asked.

"Not yet, Goombario. One second." Mario ran up to Goomboss's dropped crown and picked it up before coming back to the cliffside.

"Hey, Goomboss! Here's your useless crown!" Mario yelled before throwing the crown into the chasm. "Yeah. That'll show him. Let's-a go."

Mario and Goombario crossed the bridge to reach the outskirts of Toad Town, but they were unaware that Kammy had been spying on them all this time.

"Hmm..." Kammy wondered before flying back to Bowser and Peach's castles.


	7. A Plea from the Stars

**Chapter 7: A Plea from the Stars**

The time is now 3:50 PM. Kammy had just arrived back at Peach's castle, which has recently been taken over completely by Bowser and his troops. She walked into the second floor's study room where Bowser has been writing in his personal diary about his evil plans.

"Mighty King Bowser... I've been looking for you," Kammy greeted Bowser.

"What is it? Can't you respect my personal privacy?" Bowser asked with irritation.

"My apologies, but I have a report, Your Evilness. Mario has just killed Goomboss and is headed for Toad Town now." Bowser became shocked, albeit in a controlled manner.

"What in the Devil's name?! This is unbelievable!" Bowser interjected. "What was Goomboss thinking? I mean, I used the Star Rod to make him a king because he begged me persistently for that wish, yet Mario- How exactly did he do that?"

"He first threw Goomboss's henchmen off the cliff before destroying his fortress which, in turn, caused him to fall to his death too," Kammy explained.

"Urgh..." Bowser groaned. "I can't believe him... Are you SURE Mario will never take us down?"

"I'm 99% sure, Your Vileness. Goomboss is small-time. I had a feeling he'd fail."

"What do you mean, 'You had a feeling he'd fail'?!" Bowser demanded.

"That doesn't matter. You have the Star Rod, so you're definitely invincible. You should be able to defeat Mario with one hand tied behind your back," Kammy reassured Bowser, who took out the Star Rod and pointed it at the ceiling for a couple seconds.

"Yes, yes! Thanks for the motivation! Bwahahaha! By the way, Kammy, those Star Spirits we captured don't have any way of giving Mario their power, do they?"

"Please don't worry yourself. Each Star Spirit is held separately, and each is carefully guarded by your handpicked subjects. Even Mario cannot save all seven of them," Kammy said.

"All right... Which Star Spirit is the closest to him?"

"If I remember correctly, it's the one at Koopa Bros. Fortress."

"Got it. If Mario somehow reaches there, can the Koopa Bros. defeat him?" Bowser asked.

"King Bowser, you mustn't worry," an unseen voice said from out of nowhere.

"Who the heck...?" Bowser looked around trying to find where the voice came from.

"HI-YAA!" Suddenly, four Koopa Troopas dressed as ninjas hopped in front of Bowser and Kammy.

"Here come the Koopa Bros.!" "Uh-huh!" "Oh yeah!" "We're the coolest of cool!" the four Koopa Bros. exclaimed respectively.

"Uh, Kammy...?" Bowser asked Kammy in a perplexed tone of voice. "Are you sure these guys can get the job done? I mean, Goomboss was gigantic, yet even he couldn't beat Mario."

"Yo! Get real, King Bowser!" Red Ninjakoopa said. "Goomboss was huge, yes. But after all, he's a total loser! We're nothing like him! See, what we've got going on is the power of teamwork... Together, we're going to get the drop on that plumber just like this!"

The other three Ninjakoopas snapped their fingers on cue.

"Excellent! That's the spirit! Sell it, Koopa Bros.! Show our king what you've got!" Kammy told the Koopa Bros.

"Yes, ma'am!" Red Ninjakoopa turned to his brothers. "Blue! Green! Yellow! Get ready!"

Within seconds, the Koopa Bros. showed off their special attack, which involves them standing on top of each other and spinning at a fast speed after hiding in their shells. Because the Koopa Bros.' shells created a lot of friction while spinning, they glowed bright orange and the resultant light shined all over the office.

"Oh my God! This is... What is happening...? WOW!" Bowser said in awe; he's mesmerized at what he's seeing.

"Did you like it, King Bowser?" "How was it?" Red and Green Ninjakoopa asked Bowser.

"I didn't like it. I loved it! Perfect!" Bowser replied. "Mario won't stand a chance if you finish him with that attack!"

"Yeah! We'll take him, King Bowser!" Blue Ninjakoopa stated.

"By the way, fellas... About the captured Star Spirit I've locked up in your fortress... Who's guarding him right now?" Bowser asked.

"Uh... Nobody, sir... You know, we're here and so-" Red Ninjakoopa started to explain before Bowser interrupted him.

"YOU IMBECILES! USE YOUR DARN HEADS! GET BACK TO YOUR FORTRESS AND GUARD THAT STAR SPIRIT, I SAY!" Bowser roared.

"Yes, sir!" Red Ninjakoopa replied. "Blue! Yellow! Green! To the airship!" The Koopa Bros. ran to their small airship they used to travel to Bowser and Peach's castles.

"Come on, Your Evilness. You know they can do it," Kammy persuaded Bowser.

"They better. If I find out that those Koopa Bros. have failed me, they're not going to like the consequences," Bowser said.

* * *

Fast forwarding to 4:10 PM, Mario and Goombario entered Toad Town's outskirts and are nearing the main entrance.

"How often have you been to Toad Town?" Mario asked.

"Can't remember. Probably ten or eleven times," Goombario answered as Mario took out his cell phone. "Who are you calling?"

"I'm gonna text Luigi. You know, my little bro." Mario said before starting his text:

"Hi, Luigi. Just wanted you to know that I'm doing just fine and I'm approaching Toad Town right now. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up with me for linner today. If you'd like, I'll be waiting for you at Natasha T.'s Pizza Parlor. I have a new friend I thought you'd want to meet when you get there. See you soon."

"That's cool! I get to meet your brother too!" Goombario said with excitement.

After a ten-minute walk to Natasha T.'s Pizza Parlor, Mario set up a table for three at a window-side booth. Goombario smirked as soon as both sat on opposite ends.

"Why are you smirking, Goombario?" Mario asked.

"I know what you and Luigi are gonna get. You're obsessed with pizza and pasta," Goombario giggled.

Just as the waitress served Mario and Goombario two cups of ice water, Luigi arrived at the pizza parlor and found their booth.

"Mario! It's so great to see you!" Luigi exclaimed, giving Mario a high-five.

"Thanks. You too," Mario replied. "I bet you know what you're gonna eat already."

"Don't guess." Luigi sat next to Mario before turning to Goombario. "You must be Mario's new friend, right?"

"Yes. I'm Goombario, a die-hard fan of you and Mario," Goombario introduced himself.

"Die-hard? That's a bit extreme," Luigi remarked before retracting his thought. "No. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just glad to see another one of our fans in person."

"Are you guys ready to order?" the waitress asked after approaching the booth again and handing Luigi his cup of ice water.

"We sure are. I'll take your 14-inch pizza with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers," Mario said.

"That's a lot of toppings," Goombario said.

"I'll have the large-sized spaghetti and meatballs with garlic tomato sauce," Luigi told the waitress.

"I'd like your chef salad with honey mustard dressing," Goombario ordered.

"Okay. So, it's the large spaghetti and meatballs with garlic tomato sauce, chef salad with honey mustard, and 14-inch pizza with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers," the waitress repeated the group's orders. "Is that right?"

"That's correct," Mario replied.

"All right. I'll have your food ready ASAP."

After the waitress left the booth; Mario, Luigi, and Goombario began talking about what happened between the beginning of Peach's party and the present time.

"Thank God you made it out alive, Luigi," Mario said.

"Yeah. I didn't think I was going to until I pushed myself to run really hard."

"Where's Jim?"

"He stayed behind to help the party guests out of the castle," Luigi explained.

"WHAT?! Why would he do that? He's basically kidnapped like Princess Peach!" Mario exclaimed.

"I know. That's what I'm worried about. I don't know what's gonna happen to him in the coming days."

"If that's the case, I'm gonna have to save Princess Peach AND Jim."

"Who's Jim?" Goombario asked.

"Jim Heeding is a really great friend of ours. He's currently a 17-year-old high school senior and wants to be an author after college."

"We've known him since 1990. Well, we've bonded with each other for four years until he left for school reasons and didn't come back to the Mushroom Kingdom until today," Luigi chimed in.

"When will you see him again after Bowser's defeated?" Goombario asked.

"Who knows? Maybe if he has the free time to visit us?" Mario guessed. "Anyway, I have to save him too because-"

"Not without me, bro!" Luigi interrupted Mario. "I can't stay behind like when you went to have cake with Princess Peach by yourself four years ago!"

"Are you sure you want to come with us?" Mario asked.

"What do you think?" Luigi replied with sarcasm.

"All right-y. You're onboard now," Mario gave in.

"So, what happened with Princess Peach up there?"

"It's a long story, bro. I went upstairs because I wanted to spend some time with her. I searched down this long hallway on the third floor and couldn't find her; however, she surprised me just as I was gonna come back downstairs. She was exhausted of meeting all the guests and wanted a break."

"She asked me to sit with her on the castle's roof, but the rumbling began and both of us fell because it was hard for us to stand. We couldn't even get up until the castle stopped climbing upwards."

"Wow. You must've been in for some ride," Luigi remarked. "As I said earlier, I was lucky enough to run out before the castle began to rise. Before I left the castle grounds, I saw the orange smiley face on the center of this weird structure underneath, and I immediately knew it was Bowser."

"I think you're referring to his castle," Goombario said.

"That can't be his castle. It looks more like an airship made with bricks and stone because of the huge engine on the bottom."

"I see. Anyway, I have absolutely NO idea whatsoever as to how high Bowser raised the castle but given that the top of the sky was black with a bit of blue on the horizon, I assumed we stopped in the middle of the stratosphere," Mario continued.

"Wow. That's really high."

"So then, Bowser and his assistant Kammy come crashing through one of the windows and Bowser challenges me to a fight. It turned out to be a horrible one because with the power of the Star Rod, which is the Star Road's magical treasure, Bowser became so strong that he hurt my jaw with one punch before blowing me out of the castle with some sort of windy spell he casted. I fell thousands of feet to the ground before everything went black."

Luigi immediately felt sorry for Mario. "Oh no... Please tell me you didn't die..."

"I did. I knew I was dead for sure until I had a nightmare about that fight. I was shocked to find out I was still alive after I woke up. Plus, my jaw didn't hurt anymore," Mario said.

"To add on to that, my mom used her nursing experience to help heal Mario's injuries," Goombario chimed in. "He didn't wake up for four hours straight. So, he leaves my village's Inn and got ready to leave for Star Hill by himself until Kammy drops a giant block on our front gate and destroys it. Luckily, within several minutes, Mario used my grandpa's hammer to get rid of that block."

"It's actually my hammer now because in the words of his grandpa, 'I have the money to buy a new one for myself'," Mario said.

"Before Mario left, because I was the oldest child, I was allowed to accompany him. Good thing my sister Goombaria didn't tag along because she'd be nagging me constantly. I love her to death, but that's what she does."

"I feel you, Goombario," Luigi replied. "Me and Mario used to fight all the time back then, but we've been getting along more over the years."

"Anyway, after we left Goombario's village, we came across this small fortress ran by a giant Goomba named Goomboss. For all I know, he could have been sent by Bowser to stop us from going to Toad Town," Mario continued.

"How'd you defeat Goomboss?" Luigi asked.

"It was easy. We briefly stunned Goomboss's sidekicks and threw them off the cliff before doing the same with him."

Just as Mario and Goombario wrapped up their story, the linner was served exactly how the group ordered it. Within seconds, Mario and Luigi dove into their pizza and pasta while Goombario slowly ate his salad.

For a while, Goombario quietly snickered at Mario and Luigi quickly devouring their food; he believed back then that Mario and Luigi's Italian food obsession was a myth until today.

"I'm sorry, guys. I can't help but laugh at how you're eating your food," Goombario apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Mario replied.

Fast forwarding an hour and 20 minutes to 5:50 PM, the group had finished their meal, but didn't ask for dessert because they had to make a beeline to Star Hill.

"Why are we going to Star Hill?" Luigi asked after they exited the pizza parlor.

"You'll see," Mario answered. "The Star Spirits from the Star Road will tell us everything."

Along the way, the group entered the castle grounds where a Toad by the name of Louis T. stood and stared at what was left of Peach's castle.

"So, this is where Princess Peach's castle used to be?" Goombario asked Louis.

"Yup. Not a pretty sight to me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the castle being lifted by Bowser." Louis turned to Mario. "Did you try to stop him, by any chance?"

"Unfortunately, no. He put me down easily and Luigi was hiding in my house at that time," Mario said.

"That's sad. The best you can do is save Princess Peach and the party guests up there."

"Well, we can't just fly up there normally, Louis. That's why we're seeking help from the Star Spirits," Luigi stated.

"Good for you! I'm sure they can give you the power you need," Louis said.

"Thank you. Goodbye for now," Mario bid Louis goodbye as the group continued on to Star Hill.

Ten minutes later, the sun had set and shooting stars began to fall around the group.

"Mamma mia..." Mario and Luigi said in awe.

"I know. It's very beautiful," Goombario acknowledged them. "We picked the perfect time to go to Star Hill. They say that if you visit Star Hill during the daytime, there wouldn't be any shooting stars falling around you, so it's best to visit at night."

Upon arriving at Star Hill; it took Mario, Luigi, and Goombario six minutes to climb to the summit. The summit had a central platform with seven star-shaped indents around the rim. Even though Eldstar said that he and the other Star Spirits would wait for the group's arrival, there was no one else on the summit.

"Hmm... Where are the Star Spirits? They said they would wait for us," Mario wondered.

"Maybe they haven't detected our presence yet," Luigi said.

Right on cue, the seven Star Spirits faded into view, using the last of their power to create a projection of themselves. The group quieted down so as to listen to the Star Spirits' words of wisdom.

"Welcome, Mario and friends... We have been waiting for you," Eldstar greeted the group. "We're the seven Star Spirits. Our job is to grant the wishes of good people from our home in the Star Road, a place high beyond the sky. We're going to tell you something incredibly important. Please listen carefully."

"Sixteen and a half hours ago, Bowser and his assistant invaded our peaceful Star Road. They stole our prized treasure, the Star Rod, which we've cared for since the beginning of time," Eldstar explained.

"The Star Rod...is powerful beyond belief. It can grant any wish," Mamar added in. "For as long as we can remember, Bowser has been making wishes like, for instance, 'I'd like to trounce whoever comes across me' or 'I want Princess Peach to love me'. Of course, Stars ignore such selfish wishes. As a result, his wishes were never granted."

"Bowser...that fiend... When he found out that we were ignoring his wishes, he came and stole the Star Rod so he could grant his own wishes," Skolar said. "He seems content right now, mainly because he defeated you and captured the princess. Soon enough, though, I fear he will wish for more...and then terrible things will happen."

Then, Muskular said his section, "It is the responsibility of us seven Star Spirits to keep the Star Rod safe and use it properly. We must get the Star Rod back from Bowser and return it to its rightful place! In order to do this, Mario, we need you and your friends' help!"

"Sadly...right now, you are not strong enough to challenge Bowser...he has made himself so powerful by making wishes with the Star Rod. He is terrible to behold!" Misstar stated.

"Once we are reunited at the Star Road, we can give you the power to fight Bowser even with his newfound strength. With our help, you can prevail!" Klevar chimed in.

"Mario...we...are..." Just as Kalmar began to speak, the Star Spirits' power began to dwindle away. "Alas... We've nearly exhausted our power to talk to you. Although it looks like we're there beside you, it is only an illusion. We're using all of our strength to communicate with you over a great distance. But even now, our strength is fading... We've been caught and are being held by Bowser's followers in different places throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. First of all, Mario, you must rescue us!"

Using the last of the Star Spirits' energy, Eldstar said, "In order to take the Star Rod back from Bowser...and save Princess Peach...we need your help... Please, Mario... You are our last hope...and we will..."

Within seconds, all seven Star Spirits faded away completely; leaving Mario, Luigi, and Goombario by themselves on the summit.

"Wow. It looks like things are a lot more serious than I thought," Goombario remarked.

"It's always been serious all the time," Mario replied. "Our adventures were NEVER meant to be fun and games."

"Do you think Princess Peach is going to be all right?" Goombario asked. "I'm really worried about her."

"She'll be just fine," Luigi answered. "For now, of course. We don't know what will happen in the future."

"Keep in mind that our friend Jim also needs to be saved. Princess Peach is not the only one," Mario told Goombario.

The group looked up at the skies and observed the shooting stars for a while.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**This chapter basically wraps up the original game's prologue even though we still have to introduce Twink and Merlon. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far.**


	8. Twink the Star Kid

**Chapter 8: Twink the Star Kid**

It's 6:05 AM on August 12, 2000. For Peach herself, she barely got any sleep because she was depressed about the botched party, Mario's fate, and all the party guests' whereabouts. She paced inside her bedroom, crying softly.

"Mario's probably dead... Everyone's in prison... The Mushroom Kingdom will be destroyed if things continue the way they're going... Something must be done..."

Suddenly, someone knocked on Peach's bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Peach asked before the door opened. Bowser and Kammy walked inside and approached Peach, who is fuming about what both did earlier. "Why are you in here?!"

"Gwahahaha! My dear Princess Peach, how are you doing this fine morning?" Bowser greeted Peach.

"None of your business! Get out of my room now!" Peach yelled. Bowser and Kammy decided to lie to her because they didn't want her to know that Mario is still alive.

"Oh, we're not leaving just yet," Kammy said. "We wanted to tell you that it's no use waiting for Mario this time. There's no way he'll even reach us up here because he's dead!"

"You do realize it's your fault, right?" Peach asked.

"It wasn't my fault. It was my plan the entire time," Bowser answered before taking out the Star Rod.

"So long as I have this Star Rod, no one in the Mushroom Kingdom can touch me. You know the power that grants everyone's wishes? It's mine! Isn't that just wonderful?"

"Brag all you want. I don't care."

"I think it's wonderful. Imagine what it's like down in your kingdom! Your subjects must be so upset because their wishes aren't being granted! Oh, how delightful! They deserve it for the way they've treated us Koopas over the years." Kammy said.

"If you want anything from me, Princess Peach, all you need to do is ask," Bowser offered. "I can grant any wish you want. Of course, I'll only grant requests that I like... Anyway, think about it."

"I've already thought about it. I'll never ask you for anything."

"Oh, that's right. We trapped you in your room so that you don't cause any trouble," Bowser said. "Well, enjoy your permanent stay here!"

"Yeah, you better watch your back. Bleah heh heh ho ha ha..." Bowser and Kammy left Peach's room and slammed the door.

Still depressed, Peach walked up to her bedside and kneeled to pray. "Please, God... Give me some hope... I beg of you..."

Seconds later, Peach heard someone knocking on her balcony door. She opened it and a young Star Kid floated into her room.

"Hello, Princess Peach! Pleased to meet you! My name is Twink," the Star Kid greeted Peach.

"Uh, hi... You're a Star Kid, aren't you?" Peach questioned. "How'd you get here?"

"I came from the Star Road to grant your wish! It's our job to grant wishes, you know," Twink explained.

"Oh! You came because I wished for some hope?"

"Sure, I did!"

"Oh, that's just great! Thank you so much for coming!" Peach exclaimed.

"You're welcome."

"Okay... How do I put this...?" Peach took a few moments to come up with the perfect wish. "You think you can take that Star Rod back from Bowser?"

Almost instantly, Twink became perplexed at that wish. "Uh... That's a little much for a novice Star like me... Maybe one of the honorable Star Spirits from the Star Road could grant a wish like that. I'm so sorry. Please ask for something easy, something a small Star can do."

"Then... Can you take me away from here? Everyone in my castle has been captured and I have to save them all as soon as possible."

Again, Twink couldn't get himself to grant Peach's next wish. "I can't grant that wish either, I'm afraid. I just got called up to the sky a day ago, so I can't do big wishes yet... If I were a more splendid Star, maybe I could actually help..."

"I feel you, Twink," Peach said. "I'm still upset at the fact that Mario tried his hardest to fend off Bowser but got pushed out the window in the end. If he were alive, I'm sure he'd definitely do something to save us all."

"That's an utter shame," Twink sighed. All of a sudden, another Star Kid floated into the balcony doorway.

"Twink! You've got to hear this!"

"Shine? What are you doing here?" Twink asked.

"I came to tell you that Mario and his brother made their way to Star Hill. They were able to talk to the honorable Star Spirits' apparitions for a while before they exhausted their energy," Shine explained.

Peach froze in shock at the unexpected news and couldn't speak, but Twink kept his cool.

"That's awesome! How do you know Mario's still alive?"

"I found out that with the right amount of energy, the Star Spirits can easily revive anyone from the dead. They were able to do so while being held captive, which is incredible."

"Oh golly. I should have known this from the beginning. Thanks, Shine."

"No problem. I'm going to head back to the Star Road now. You and the princess have a good morning," Shine said before floating back to the Star Road.

"Well, what do you know, Princess Peach?" Twink remarked. "It looks like Mario might be saving everyone after all. Not to mention his brother Luigi helping them out too." But Peach remained speechless; she couldn't even move a muscle.

"Princess Peach? Are you okay?"

Finally, Peach managed to say, "Give me a few minutes. I need to process everything." Peach walked into her bathroom and locked the door. 15 minutes later, Peach walked out of the bathroom, completely calm and collected.

"So, Mario is actually alive?"

"Yes, he is. The honorable Star Spirits had enough energy to heal Mario's wounds and bring him back to life," Twink said.

"I'm sorry I wasn't excited when he told us. My mind just froze up," Peach apologized.

"I understand. Do you need me to grant a simple wish now that everything's cleared up? Remember you wished for some hope before I came in."

"Thanks for reminding me. The least you can do is try to find Mario and Luigi and tell them about my condition," Peach requested.

"Okay! I'll do it, Princess Peach! I'll fly to the Mushroom Kingdom just as quick as I can!" Twink declared. "What should I say to them?"

"Tell them that I'm fine and that there's no need to worry about me."

"Got it. I'll remember those words. I'll be back soon, so stay safe until I return, okay?" Without further ado, Twink flew out of Peach's bedroom to try and find Mario and Luigi. As soon as Twink disappeared, Peach walked onto her balcony.

"Thank God Mario's still alive," Peach said to herself. "I wonder how long it's going to take before he comes for me."

* * *

Meanwhile, down in Bowser's castle's main dungeon, Jim stood in front of the bars and grasped them lightly.

"Well, this sucks," he groaned. "Just as I was having the time of my life, the party gets ruined and Bowser kidnaps everyone including me." He looked to his right and left to see if there were any guards walking down the hall but didn't see any.

"I can just imagine when I get out of here and I tell Mom and Dad what happened. They're gonna be like, 'What are you talking about, Jim? That's no excuse to miss out on the first day of school! Why would you even go back to the Mushroom Kingdom when there's other important stuff to worry about?'"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out in the background, "Master Jim! Is that you?"

"Mr. Toadsworth?" Jim walked up and saw Lloyd Toadsworth, Peach's steward, sitting on one of the cell's benches. "You were captured too?"

"Of course, I was! What did you even expect? For every single party guest to make it out safely?"

"Kind of. Where were you during the party?"

"I was up on the second floor talking to some of the guests. Why do you ask?"

"Didn't you see Mario walking past you?" Jim asked.

"No. I didn't see him. What was he doing?"

"Let me go back to the beginning. Luigi called me up and asked if I wanted to come. Mario didn't know I was going to the party because he walked ahead. He was so shocked that he could barely speak; especially since he remembered me as a young boy and not my grown-up self. I haven't been to the Mushroom Kingdom since I was eleven!"

"That's very long," Toadsworth remarked.

"Anyway, Mario walked upstairs to chill out, but he didn't come back down when the rumbling started," Jim continued.

"Was he with the princess at that time?"

"Maybe. He probably wanted to see her anyway. So, me and Luigi tried to help everyone out of the castle and Luigi begged me to run away with him, but I chose to stay behind just as the castle began lifting off." Jim let out a sigh of disgust. "That was the dumbest decision I ever made in my life."

"No, it wasn't. You tried to prove yourself a hero," Toadsworth assured Jim. "And I'm proud of you for that."

"Thanks, Mr. Toadsworth," Jim said with sarcasm.

"Hey. Don't be angry, Master Jim. I'm sure we'll be freed in no time."

"No offense, Mr. Toadsworth, but I'm not your master. Like, why do you even call Mario and Luigi your masters?" Jim asked.

"I don't know. Because they look more superior than me," Toadsworth answered. Jim slowly walked back to the bars and looked up at the ceiling.

"Please, Mario. Wherever you are, hurry up. I can't stay down here forever."

* * *

Fast forwarding to 7 AM; Mario, Luigi, and Goombario were sleeping in an alcove underneath Star Hill before the rising sun shined in their faces.

"Oh, mamma mia..." Mario yawned as he got up. Luigi and Goombario slowly woke up too.

"Good morning, bro," Luigi said.

"How long were we asleep for?" Goombario asked.

"I didn't bring a watch," Mario answered. "How about we go to my pad for breakfast? I bet you're pretty hungry."

"I'd love to, Mario. I wanted to see what your house was like anyway," Goombario stated.

"Promise us you're not gonna steal anything," Luigi requested.

"Come on, Luigi. I would NEVER do such a thing."

Without hesitation, the group began their long walk to the Warp Pipe in Toad Town that would take them to Mario's Pad. Just as they passed the boundary between Peach's castle grounds and the Star Hill area, something hit Mario in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground.

"Whoa! You okay, Mario?" Luigi exclaimed before helping Mario up.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, so sorry! I'm in a huge hurry!" The group looked up to see Twink floating frantically.

"It's okay. Just watch where you're going next time," Mario told Twink.

"Thanks. I'll-" Suddenly, Twink recognized Mario and Luigi. "Are you the Mario Bros.?!" Twink gasped.

"Yeah... How did you know it was us?" Mario asked.

"Princess Peach told me everything! Thank the Stars I found you!" Twink exclaimed.

"So, you're telling me that Princess Peach knows I'm not dead?"

"Exactly! It's a miracle that the honorable Star Spirits saved your life!"

"Uh, excuse me. Do you have a name?" Goombario asked.

"I do. The name's Twink. I'm one of the Star Kids who recently got called up to the Star Road in recent days," Twink introduced himself.

"I'm Goombario."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Goombario." Twink turned to Mario and Luigi. "Princess Peach asked me to come find you, so that's why I'm here."

"For what reason?" Luigi questioned.

"She wanted to make sure you guys are okay; specifically, you, Mario. She thought you were dead before another Star Kid told us how he saw you at Star Hill," Twink replied.

"That's nice. Thanks for checking on us, Twink," Mario thanked Twink.

"No problem. You're as strong as they say. I know that you'll be able to defeat Bowser!" Twink stated. "Well, I'm going to return to Princess Peach's castle. I'm not strong enough to really help her, but at least I can be some sort of messenger to you."

"Is that so? What did Princess Peach ask you to tell me?" Mario asked.

"Hold on..." Twink took a few seconds to think of what Peach told him to say before remembering it instantly.

"Oh! I remember now! She told me to tell you that she's all right and you don't have to worry about her."

"Not worry about her?" Mario protested. "She's kidnapped again, so why should I assume she's okay?"

"He's right," Luigi agreed. "What if Bowser does something worse to her?"

"That's a good point, but for now, she's okay. I'll let you both know if I get information about the honorable Stars Spirits or if Princess Peach is in danger. She and all of us at the Star Road are counting on you," Twink explained.

"Thanks again," Mario said.

"Any time. Well, have a nice morning." Twink proceeded to fly back up to Peach's castle with the group watching him go.

"There he goes. What a brave little guy," Goombario said.

"Yeah. I never thought a young Star Kid like him would have Princess Peach's back," Mario replied just as the group resumed their walk to his pad. "Let's-a go back to my home. Me and Luigi need to change clothes after we eat."


	9. Merlon's Advice

**Chapter 9: Merlon's Advice**

"Thanks, guys. I really enjoyed that omelet," Goombario thanked the Mario Bros, having finished a ham and cheese omelet that both prepared for breakfast at Mario's Pad; Mario and Luigi also ate their own omelet.

It's now 7:25 AM, about a half-hour after they first met Twink, a Star Kid who was recently called from the Star Road to help Princess Peach during her captivity.

"Can you step outside the pad for a moment?" Mario asked. "We need to shower up and get dressed."

After Goombario walked outside, Mario and Luigi took a quick shower and changed into different outfits than their trademark versions: Mario kept his red cap but put on a blue shirt and red overalls, and Luigi put on a blue cap and overalls along with a yellow shirt. Mario laughed at the sight of Luigi's outfit.

"C-Come on, L-Luigi! Why d-didn't you pick g-green today?" Mario chuckled.

"Because I wanted to imagine myself rescuing Princess Peach for the first time," Luigi replied. "After all, I like that nostalgic feeling."

"All right-y. Whatever you say, bro," Mario gave in.

Just as Mario and Luigi walked outside to officially start their quest to rescue the Star Spirits, Goombario's eyes widened.

"I thought you were gonna clean your regular clothes before putting them back on!" Goombario remarked.

"Not today, Goombario," Luigi responded. "It sometimes gets boring wearing the same outfit every day, so we thought we'd try something different."

The group then reentered Toad Town and headed east before a Toad named Jeffrey T. approached them and said, "Good morning, Mario!"

"Hello, Jeffrey! How are you doing?" Mario greeted Jeffrey.

"Just fine. I wanted to tell you that Merlon wants you to go meet him at his house."

"Who's Merlon?" Luigi asked.

"He's this wizard who predicts what'll happen in anybody's future. However, he wants to talk about how he can help you on your quest to save the princess. It's rare for Merlon to call somebody over to his house, you know," Jeffrey explained.

"How often does he call someone over?" Goombario questioned.

"That, I have no idea," Jeffrey replied. "In case you want to know where he lives, walk up ahead and make a right at the intersection before walking two blocks south. You'll see a house with a spinning roof on your right."

"Thank you, Jeffrey," Mario thanked Jeffrey.

"No problem, guys. See you soon."

And so, the group followed Jeffrey's directions and eventually came upon Merlon's house. Mario approached the front door and knocked on it.

"Just a minute," an old man's voice called out. After ten seconds, the door opened, revealing the Shaman wizard named Merlon.

"Well, good morning, my friends. Who might you be?" Merlon asked. His voice had a British accent in it.

"I'm Mario, this is my brother Luigi, and this is our new companion Goombario," Mario introduced himself and the others.

"Hello," Luigi and Goombario greeted Merlon.

"So, let me guess: you're the Mario that I've been waiting for?"

"Of course. We were told that you wanted to help me out," Mario said.

"Brilliant! Come on in, everyone." Merlon beckoned the group to follow him into the living room, which has a crystal ball in the middle of the room. Mario, Luigi, and Goombario sat on a couch in front of the crystal ball while Merlon stood on the other end of it.

"Nice house, Merlon," Luigi remarked as he gazed around the living room.

"Thank you, Luigi. So, how about we start off with a backstory leading up to today?" Merlon offered.

"That would be lovely," Mario answered.

"All right, then. I'm going to tell the short version just in case you fall asleep. And I'm being real with you. One time, I told a previous customer a story I came up with, but I hesitated too much and he fell asleep. He lied that he heard it all after he woke up," Merlon explained.

"That's weird. So, you promise you won't make us doze off?" Goombario asked.

"Absolutely not, my friend. Anyway, here we go," Merlon began.

"When I was reading the stars the other day, an oracle came to me. What I discovered is very important, and it concerns you. It was about four years ago in the mid-summer. One of my ancestors was up on Star Hill, as usual, and he told me about your heroic status and how the gods above always send their blessings day by day. I was somewhat young, but I gained some good information."

"Fast forward three years. Exactly twelve months to today, my crystal ball rumbled more violently than other times when a future prediction was about to appear. I saw the Star Road in its peaceful state until the sanctuary explodes all of a sudden. After the smoke cleared, the Star Rod that was sitting on its pedestal was gone. I didn't know who exactly took it, but I did know that evil was afoot. Anyway, remembering about how you kept the Mushroom Kingdom under control alongside the numerous savings of Princess Peach, I figured that you would do something to get that Star Rod back to its place."

"But you didn't know exactly when it was gonna happen?" Mario questioned.

"No, I did not. After that prediction disappeared from my crystal ball, I stayed up for a few hours past my bedtime each night, anticipating the evildoer's atrocity. I felt it was getting too monotonous when spring came this year, so I gave up on this waiting and focused on other predictions. However, it was yesterday that the crystal ball rumbled violently again; at that time, I forgot about the stealing of the Star Rod," Merlon went on.

"I looked into the ball and saw exactly what I predicted previously. It was none other than the Koopa King named Bowser. Not only did he take the Star Rod, but he also took all seven of the Star Spirits and hid them in various places where not one normal person could find. But, you three are no normal people."

"I believe you can save all of them before rescuing Princess Peach. To help you out, I shall predict the path you should take if you get lost during your adventure. Usually, I would ask for a fee of 10 Coins, but since you're special customers, I can help you out for free. How does that sound?"

"Great idea, Merlon." "Thank you so much," Mario and Luigi thanked Merlon.

"Any time. Now, the first path you should take is towards the great fortress of the Koopa Bros. It's at the very end of Pleasant Path, which starts about a block to the east of my house, near the downtown Inn," Merlon instructed the group.

"Okey-dokey. Have a nice day," Mario said before walking out the front door.

"Good luck, lads," Merlon bid the group goodbye. Just before they could start down Pleasant Path, Mario saw four Dark Toads blocking the entrance.

"Hmm... What are those Toads doing?" Mario wondered.

"Maybe they're holding off others, but there's a chance they can let us through," Goombario replied.

After approaching the Dark Toads, Mario asked, "Hey, guys. Will you please let us down Pleasant Path? Me and my friends need to get to Koopa Bros. Fortress."

"No way in heck," the first Dark Toad said. "You don't wanna go out there. It's way too dangerous."

"Yeah. Going to Koopa Bros. Fortress would be a huge mistake," the second Dark Toad added in.

"Get outta here! I heard it's not that dangerous. You're just paranoid about the small enemies that won't hurt you," Mario protested.

"You imbecile! It IS dangerous! We forbid you not to go there!" the third Dark Toad blurted out.

"And don't think about bum-rushing through us! We'll call the cops if you do!" the fourth Dark Toad threatened Mario.

"Okay. Fine. Geez..." Mario muttered as he walked back to Luigi and Goombario.

"What happened?" Luigi asked.

"Those Dark Toads won't let us through," Mario replied. "I mean, I really want to push them away, but I promised myself I wouldn't hurt any good guys."

"Well, there's only one way we can get rid of them. Follow me," Goombario said, leading the Mario Bros. back to Merlon's house. Mario knocked on the front door again.

"Coming," Merlon called out as he went and opened the door. "You're back already?"

"Well, we can't really go down Pleasant Path," Mario answered.

"There's these Dark Toads that won't let us through. We thought they would just step aside, but they threatened to call the cops if we didn't listen to them," Luigi explained.

"Dark Toads blocking Pleasant Path, you say?" Merlon questioned.

"You heard us, Merlon," Goombario said.

"That's ridiculous! Such a thing has never been heard of! Never! I'll get to the bottom of this," Merlon declared as he started walking towards the Dark Toads. "Follow me over there. I'll see what's going on."

After approaching the Dark Toads, Merlon said, "Stay where you are, my friends," before turning to them.

"Could you please move out of the way? Mario and his friends need to go to Koopa Bros. Fortress."

"I told him that he can't pass!" the first Dark Toad replied with irritation.

"Yeah! Back up, dude!" the second Dark Toad ordered Merlon.

"Hmmm... You aren't Toads, are you?!" Merlon demanded.

"Um... We don't know what you're talking about," the third Dark Toad said.

"Yeah. Why even ask? We're just cute, ordinary Toads hanging out," the fourth Dark Toad chimed in.

"I don't believe you for a second!" Merlon snapped. "Reveal your true selves!"

Without further ado, Merlon chanted, "Revealius! Formakidad! Trupolar!" and threw his arms out. As a result, four lightning bolts struck the Dark Toads, revealing themselves as the Koopa Bros. in disguise.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" Red Ninjakoopa shouted with agony.

"What...?" Mario murmured with surprise.

"Are you kidding me...?" Luigi said to himself.

"Aha! Just as I thought! You're the Koopa Bros.!" Merlon exclaimed.

"How'd you guess it was us?! We were perfectly disguised!" Blue Ninjakoopa cried.

"Blue! Yellow! Green! Retreat now!" Red Ninjakoopa ordered his brothers as they all ran away to their fortress. Mario, Luigi, and Goombario walked up to Merlon, relieved that the matter is over.

"Mamma mia. That was crazy," Mario stated.

"It sure was, Mario. Those impostors were none other than the Koopa Bros. You three need to pursue them to their fortress down that way," Merlon said, pointing down Pleasant Path. "But, before you leave, there's one part of your fortune I haven't revealed."

"What is it?" Luigi asked.

"To get through the fortress and defeat the Koopa Bros., you're going to need help from a pink girl Bob-omb, who is trapped deep within. It is a strange portent, and I dear hope you do your best to clear it up," Merlon instructed the group.

"Thank you so much, Merlon," Mario thanked Merlon.

"No problem. Farewell, my friends," Merlon bid the group goodbye as he walked back to his house.

"All right. You all set, guys?" Goombario asked the Mario Bros.

"Yes, we are!" "Let's-a go!" Luigi and Mario declared as all three set off down Pleasant Path towards Koopa Bros. Fortress.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**As you may have noticed at the end, I am cutting out Kooper because the way to have him join the party seems ridiculous to me. I mean, saving his shell from a bunch of Fuzzies? How is that story-relevant? Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter, which officially begins Part 1 of the original game.**


	10. The Not-So-Pleasant Path

**Chapter 10: The Not-So-Pleasant Path**

"Princess Peach wrote that letter specifically for me, which upset Luigi because he wanted to have cake with her too," Mario told Goombario, referring to his June 1996 adventure travelling to different worlds via Peach's castle's paintings. "But he understood that I chose to go alone."

For the last ten minutes; Mario, Luigi, and Goombario have been walking east down Pleasant Path towards Koopa Bros. Fortress in search of the first of seven Star Spirits to be rescued.

"It took several days for Mario to get all those Power Stars to free Princess Peach out of that giant mural on the front of the castle," Luigi added in. "And she kept her promise of baking Mario a strawberry shortcake from the beginning. I was hoping Mario would save a slice for me, but it turns out he was too greedy to care about his own brother."

"Hey! I'm not greedy!" Mario argued. "You were the one obsessed with collecting buttloads of Coins during our first time saving Princess Peach!"

"I did that because we had to pay for our rent," Luigi explained.

"Not listening, liar," Mario said, holding his hand in front of Luigi's face.

"Come on, guys. Stop fighting," Goombario said to Mario and Luigi. "At least try to get along."

After a minute or two, the group came across a long gap with no bridge in between.

"Before you complain, Goombario, there's no turning back," Mario urged Goombario. "There's a bunch of ways to cross."

"Then how are-" Goombario started to question, but Mario proceeded to throw Goombario across the gap. Luckily, Goombario landed safely. "That wasn't what I was expecting!"

"Sorry," Mario called out before turning to Luigi. "All right-y, bro. It's our turn now."

The way that the Mario Bros. crossed the gap was simple: Mario stood in place while Luigi backed up before running forward. While running, Luigi hopped onto Mario's head; at the same time, Mario did a jump that was higher than normal thanks to Luigi assisting him. The height of the jump was big enough for them to cross.

"What kind of jump was that?" Goombario asked.

"It's a High Jump," Luigi explained. "Mario stands still, and I do a running jump onto his head before he leaps at the same time, making the second jump more powerful. It helps us cross gaps easily."

"There is one other jump technique we can do, but we'll show you later if there's another gap ahead," Mario said.

Along the way, the group came across multiple Spiked Goombas and Koopa Troopas, all of which were easy to take down without trouble.

"I thought this was called 'Pleasant Path'." Luigi wondered out loud.

"Well, either Merlon lied to us, or he secretly told us to think happy thoughts if and only if there were enemies trying to stop us," Mario responded.

A half-minute later, Luigi spotted a Brick Block filled with ten Coins, which he collected for himself.

"Can you at least give half to me, bro?" Mario asked.

"If you stop calling me greedy, I'll give you half."

"But that's my opinion," Mario protested.

"And I hate your opinion with a passion," Luigi returned. "So, no Coins for you."

Mario sighed with irritation and muttered a bit of profanity under his breath.

"Sorry, Goombario. I tend to swear when I'm angry," Mario apologized.

"Doesn't bother me," Goombario said. "But rest assured that there are plenty of Coins in the world for you to keep for yourself."

Further down Pleasant Path, tougher enemies stood in the way such as Paratroopas and Paragoombas that dropped Micro-Goombas from above. But again, Mario and Luigi managed to defeat them easily while Goombario described their appearances and how they attack opponents.

Ten minutes later, the group came across another gap, but this one was longer than the first one.

"This is why I'm telling you not to throw me over. You nearly killed me back there," Goombario said.

"I understand. We'll make sure you hold onto us during this next jump," Luigi told Goombario.

While Luigi was talking to Goombario, Mario noticed a red Koopa Troopa homing in on Luigi from behind.

"MOVE, BRO!" Mario cried, prompting Luigi to jump away. Luckily, Goombario was not within range of the incoming shell. Meanwhile, Mario timed it perfectly and stomped on the shell to stop it in place. After picking it up, Mario quickly searched the other side of the gap for a switch to potentially spawn a bridge in between the two cliffs because if he took too long, the Koopa Troopa would pop back out and attack Mario.

He eventually spotted a red switch on the far left end and threw the shell at the switch. Within seconds, a bridge made of multi-colored boat paddles rose from the water.

"Forget that second jump, guys. We'll save it for later," Mario said.

After crossing the bridge, the group went on for another fifteen minutes before finally spotting Koopa Bros. Fortress dead ahead. It was now 8:17 AM.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the fortress entrance, Blue Ninjakoopa paced back and forth, making sure that any intruder doesn't go inside easily.

"Geez, this is so boring," Blue Ninjakoopa muttered. "Why did Red even ask me to be the door guard?"

Several seconds later, Blue Ninjakoopa spotted Mario, Luigi, and Goombario approaching the fortress and jumped with shock.

"Holy moly! It's Mario!" Blue Ninjakoopa exclaimed. "We're so in a world of pain!" He then ran into the fortress and slammed the door behind him.

"Who was that over there?" Luigi asked; it was hard for him to see Blue Ninjakoopa at the entrance.

"I wasn't paying attention, Luigi. Sorry," Mario replied.

After reaching the doorway, the group gazed up and studied the fortress's appearance.

"If I remember correctly, this fortress is about one-fourth the size of Princess Peach's castle," Goombario explained. "Don't know how many stories it is, though." Choosing to be respectful, Mario allowed Luigi and Goombario to walk in first before he went in last.

The Koopa Bros. might look like regular Koopa Troopas, but they claim to have many tricks up their sleeves. What will be in store for Mario and friends?


	11. Storming the Fortress

**Chapter 11: Storming the Fortress**

Inside Koopa Bros. Fortress, there were greenish-black bricks that made up the walls and grayish-purple tiles that comprised the floors. The first room Mario, Luigi, and Goombario entered was a tall octagon-shaped tower with a deep pool in the middle.

"How deep is that pool?" Mario asked.

"I think around 20 feet," Goombario answered. "There might be something on the bottom, which is one clue about how deep that pool is."

"At least there's no one that'll jump us in this room," Luigi stated. The door on the east side was obviously locked, but it wasn't hard to find the key, which was hidden inside two wall bricks.

"So far, so-" Mario started just as he pulled the key out of the wall. Suddenly, a Buzzy Beetle shell dropped from the ceiling and knocked Mario to the ground.

"Okay. I take back what I said earlier," Luigi apologized while helping Mario up. "There's definitely gonna be some traps."

The next room had several Bob-ombs scattered all over; upon seeing the group, they lit their fuses and charged toward them. Mario used his hammer to bat the Bob-ombs away before they exploded; a new tactic he came up with in addition to tossing the Bob-ombs to oblivion.

* * *

Meanwhile, Green Ninjakoopa helped three Koopa Troopa minions lock up three different items in their respective cages: an Invincibility Star, a fortress door key, and a Brick Block filled with ten Coins.

"That should do it, Green," one of the Koopa Troopas told Green Ninjakoopa. "Mario has absolutely no chance of getting those precious treasures. They're ours."

"You can say that again, dude!" Green Ninjakoopa replied. "Let's see if-" Suddenly, he overheard a familiar voice through the door and placed his ear on the door to listen for it.

"No... Tell me that's not Mario..."

"It sounds like him," the second Koopa Troopa said.

"And it looks like there might be some fighting here," the third Koopa Troopa added in.

"I gotta go! Take care of that plumber!" Green Ninjakoopa ordered the Koopa Troopas before running away.

It was a good thing that Green Ninjakoopa escaped quickly because the next thing the Koopa Troopa minions knew, the door was blown open thanks to Mario throwing a Bob-omb at it. As a result, the Koopa Troopas were thrown back across the room and parts of the busted door scattered all over the place.

"I guess that's one way to open a door," Luigi remarked. "You don't have to simply turn the knob when there are other options." As soon as the group entered the room, the three locked-up items caught Mario's eye.

"Oh boy! I could use that Star right there!" Mario exclaimed when he looked at the Invincibility Star. "Maybe I can take out the Koopa Bros. before they try to attack us."

Luigi walked up to the Brick Block and said to Mario, "Bro, I just looked back at our fight earlier, and I'm sorry I didn't give half of my Coins to you."

"Don't worry about it," Mario replied. "You can keep that block's Coins to yourself."

"No. I'm going to give them all to you. Please take the block when we get those cages open. I insist." Mario breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Luigi for his generosity.

"Now that's what I call brotherly love," Goombario said to himself.

"How are we gonna get the cages open?" Luigi asked. Just as Mario began searching the cages for a hidden opening, he saw some cracks on the bottom-right walls of all three cages.

"If only we saved some of those Bob-ombs back there to blow these cracks open," Mario lamented. "Oh well. There's probably more of them in this place. Plus, we need that key in the middle one if there's another locked door."

The group then set off into the next room, which had a staircase held in the air by four chains on the left side and a Paratroopa guarding a locked door in front. Again, Mario had no trouble in taking care of the Paratroopa before throwing its shell at the chains, causing them to break easily and drop the staircase to the bottom floor.

"Wow. That was some throw," Goombario said. "Those chains didn't even stand a chance."

Downstairs was a treasure chest containing another fortress door key, and what made it simple was that nothing jumped out when the chest was opened. The group went back upstairs without hesitation and unlocked the door to continue onward.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yellow Ninjakoopa was upstairs in another octagon-shaped tower constructing a trap of his own to bribe Mario into collecting an item from the Yellow Question Mark Block above. He said sure to inspect all the nails, bungee cords, and wires that held the trap together to ensure they don't break before Mario reaches the trap.

"Okay. I think everything looks good," Yellow Ninjakoopa said to himself. "Mario's so gonna fall for it. Literally." Suddenly, he heard the door from downstairs open. "Oh! Looks like Mario's coming. I'd better hide." Yellow Ninjakoopa ran into the room in front of the trap and placed his ear on the door.

* * *

"How much longer until we get to the Star Spirit?" Luigi asked.

"Be patient, Luigi. We can't just snap our fingers and find ourselves battling the Koopa Bros. in a split-second," Mario replied as the group walked up the winding ramp to the next floor.

"What do we have here?" Mario wondered after he noticed the rigged Yellow Question Mark Block. "Guys, just in case there are some Coins in this block, would you please stand with me to get your shares?"

"Sure." "Good idea," Goombario and Luigi answered respectively. Upon hitting the block from underneath, a red wristband with five white buttons and a black depression on the top popped out before Mario caught it.

"Hmm... I've never seen an item like-" Mario started to say while looking at the wristband. Suddenly, the floor underneath Mario, Luigi, and Goombario's feet fell open in two halves, causing them to fall into a black pit below.

Upon hearing the group screaming while falling, Yellow Ninjakoopa ran out to the activated trap and laughed, "Haha! You idiots! You think you can easily get away with that treasure? No way!" Yellow Ninjakoopa then went back through the door to go to where Red Ninjakoopa was waiting for the rest of the Koopa Bros.

* * *

Two stories underneath the trap was a dungeon in which five friendly Bob-ombs were trapped.

"I'm sick and tired of being stuck down here," a pink Bob-omb with a yellow fuse shaped like a ponytail. "I'm glad I haven't gone insane yet." Seconds later, she heard distant screaming from above and looked up. "Who's falling from up there?"

Before the other Bob-ombs could answer the pink Bob-omb's question; Mario, Luigi, and Goombario impacted the ground and rolled all over the place.

"Owwgh... At least I landed on my feet..." Mario groaned while standing up. He helped Luigi and Goombario off the ground before the pink Bob-omb intervened.

"Where did you three fall from?" she asked.

"There was this Yellow Question Mark Block upstairs that had an unknown item and the floor just collapsed in an instant," Luigi replied.

"Why did you do that? I mean, you should know by now not to fall for traps like that."

"Sorry. We sometimes act stupid without knowing it," Mario said.

"Hold on..." the pink Bob-omb thought out loud. "Are you the Mario I've heard of from my friends?"

"Yes, I am," Mario replied before introducing Luigi and Goombario. "This is my brother Luigi and our new friend Goombario."

"Wow. Never in a million years have I thought of meeting a celebrity like you in a place like this," the pink Bob-omb stated. "Before you ask, my name's Bombette and those are my four friends who got trapped with me."

"Nice to meet you, Bombette," Mario said.

"Why did you and your friends get locked up?" Luigi asked.

"Because those Koopa Bros. believed we were menaces when we were turning over new leaves!" Bombette explained. "Once Bowser took over, they started working us into the ground! I couldn't take it anymore, so I exploded next to them, which was against their rules. My friends also exploded next to them and all of us were locked up afterwards. The last thing the Koopa Bros. wanted was a Bob-omb rebellion. What do you think about that?"

"I would call it a sad story, but I'm proud of you for trying to stand up to the Koopa Bros.," Mario said.

"Thank you so much, Mario. Will you help get me and my friends out of here before we lose our minds?"

"Why would we not? We're heroes after all," Luigi answered.

"Oh, how nice of you!" Bombette exclaimed with joy. "We'll be good friends from now on, I can feel it! We'll make a super team together!"

While Luigi was allowing Bombette to join the party, Mario put the red wristband on his right wrist and asked Goombario, "What does this wristband do?"

"I don't really know, Mario," Goombario responded. "My best inkling is if you get more companions to join your team, you can't have all of them out at once. So, pressing one of the five white buttons should suck one companion into the wristband and he'll stay in there until you press that button again to release him. Try that on me."

"Okay..." Mario said in an unsure tone of voice. He pressed the white button to the right of the black depression and Goombario got sucked into the wristband, causing the button to turn gray and a white "#1" to glow above the button. "That's weird..."

After Mario rejoined Luigi and Bombette, Luigi suddenly became confused of Goombario's whereabouts.

"Where's Goombario?" Luigi asked.

"I'll try to make it simple," Mario began. "This wristband has five white buttons that can contain up to five companions that decide to join our team because all of them can't be on our side physically at once. So, Goombario is inside the wristband for now until we need him for something important."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand it," Luigi apologized.

"Don't worry. You'll see what happens during our quest." Mario turned to Bombette. "So, how can we get you guys out?"

"Let me think..." Bombette started to come up with ideas before realizing something. "Oh golly! I'm such a stupid-head. I completely forgot about my exploding specialty."

"Probably because you went insane," Luigi pointed out, causing Mario and Bombette to giggle for a couple seconds.

"Well, not totally insane, but at least I got my bearings back." Bombette walked over to one end of the dungeon and noticed some cracks in that wall. "Watch this, guys!" Bombette winced her face to light up her fuse and exploded next to the cracks, busting a hole in the wall.

"There! Now we can all escape," Bombette announced. "Let's get out of here." Without hesitation, the Mario Bros. and Bombette's friends hurried out of the castle with Bombette leading the way.

"Guys, go out of the fortress through the entrance!" Bombette ordered her friends. "Me and Mario have a score to settle with the Koopa Bros."

"Don't forget me, Bombette!" Luigi said.

"And Luigi too!"

As soon as Bombette's friends hurried out of the fortress, Bombette and the Mario Bros. went back upstairs and walked up the winding ramp to where the trap was.

"Please don't do that again," Bombette reminded Mario and Luigi. "You wouldn't want to die if the trap is bad enough."

"We'll try not to, but I can't make any promises," Mario answered.

The group went through the next room and back into the area with the three cages because Mario and Luigi needed to collect the three trapped items. On top of the cages were cracked floors that Bombette could blow up to fall into the cages. Luigi stood by as Mario got all ten Coins from the Brick Block in the right-side cage, Luigi collected the fortress door key in the middle, and Mario got the Invincibility Star for himself in the left-side cage.

Even though there were cracks on the outside walls of the cages, there was no need to blow them up since the group easily climbed out of the cages before going through the top-left door. There was nothing inside the next room except for a locked door, but that didn't mean that nothing would happen after unlocking it. As soon as Luigi unlocked the door, a horde of black Bob-ombs fell from the ceiling, but the group had no trouble defeating them.

Inside the tower with the fortress entrance, there was a blue switch on the left end of the walkway. Mario hammered the switch, causing an algae-covered staircase to emerge from the central pool. There were so many spikes on the stairs that Mario had to carry Bombette while him and Luigi carefully maneuvered around them to get to the top.

Eventually, the group reached a huge red door at the very top of the tower, which led to an open bridge that connected to the eastern tower.

Before Mario opened the red door, Bombette said to him and Luigi, "Don't think the Koopa Bros. are easy to take down just because they look like regular Koopa Troopas. I know how many tricks up their sleeves they have."

"All right-y," Mario answered. "You guys follow behind me; I'll ask you to back me up just in case."


	12. Vs The Koopa Bros

**Chapter 12: Vs. The Koopa Bros.**

The bridge leading to the eastern tower was an open one for the most part with no railings and tiny ledges bordering the bridge. However, there were two alcoves near both tower entrances.

"Whatever you do, don't look over the edge," Mario warned Luigi and Bombette. "It's too early to die at this point."

Suddenly, all four Koopa Bros. exited the eastern tower with Red Ninjakoopa blocking the red door and his brothers leaping down the stairs onto the bridge.

"Yo, Mario! I wouldn't have bet you'd make it this far, but congratulations on that!" Red Ninjakoopa bellowed.

"Yeah! Thanks for the compliment!" Mario replied with sarcasm.

"Don't you get smug with me, dude! You just caught us off guard!" Red Ninjakoopa continued.

"And listen to this: we'll mop the floor with you if we get serious! We're as cool as they come!" Blue Ninjakoopa added in. Right on cue, three Bill Blasters rose up from under the floor.

"All right, boys! On my go, open fire!" Red Ninjakoopa announced. "Three! Two! One! Fire!"

Blue, Yellow, and Green Ninjakoopa pressed the "Fire" buttons on the backs of the Bill Blasters, causing them to start shooting a barrage of Bullet Bills. Mario, Luigi, and Bombette ran down to the west alcove to formulate a plan.

"So, what do we do, Mario?" Bombette whispered.

"I was gonna use this Star to bum-rush the Koopa Bros., but those Bill Blasters might be too strong for my hammer," Mario answered while taking his Invincibility Star out of his overalls pocket. "You two stay right here. I'm running straight through the Bill Blasters."

"How does the Star let you do that?" Bombette asked.

"First off, let me tell you how this Star works," Mario explained. "It allows a person to become invincible for about ten seconds, and it also grants him super strength and fast running speeds; even more than my normal specialties. The longer you run, the more you'll speed up, but it's technically a disadvantage if you're on a bridge like this one. But I've always been a risk-taker my whole life."

"Me too," Luigi said before turning to Mario. "Good luck, bro."

"Thank you," Mario thanked Luigi before crouching down on the topmost step. Mario then crushed the Invincibility Star in his right hand, causing him to start flashing multiple colors with frantic music playing in his ears. "Here I go!"

Just as Mario started to dash down the bridge, the Koopa Bros. knew they were doomed.

"Stop the Bill Blasters now!" Red Ninjakoopa ordered his brothers. But Blue, Yellow, and Green Ninjakoopa didn't turn off the Bill Blasters; they ran through the red door into the eastern tower. "Oh criminy..." Red Ninjakoopa reluctantly went inside the tower too.

About two seconds later, Mario ran through the central Bill Blaster, causing it to explode into thousands of pieces, before punching the side Bill Blasters off the bridge with both fists. He then used the next four seconds to run up the door and wall before sideflipping onto the bridge and doing the V-sign with his right hand upon landing. By that point, the invincibility wore off.

"All right-y! The coast is clear!" Mario called out, prompting Luigi and Bombette hurry across the bridge to the other red door.

"That was amazing!" Bombette remarked. "I liked how you did that stunt after destroying the Bill Blasters."

"Thanks, Bombette. It's another thing you can do while invincible."

Suddenly, Luigi noticed a Yellow Exclamation Point Block above the east alcove. "Guys, I found another block over there."

"Mamma mia. How many of them are there?" Mario wondered.

"A whole lot," Luigi answered before walking under the block. He hit the block from underneath, revealing a black hammer with a brown handle and white eyes.

"At least I have a hammer too," Luigi said after obtaining the hammer. "But it might be more powerful than yours, Mario. I mean, look at the eyes."

"You want to wait until we enter the tower to power up, or you want to do it now?" Mario asked.

"We can't waste any more time, bro. We've got a Star Spirit to rescue."

"Then let's-a go!" Mario declared before the group entered the eastern tower. Inside the top of the tower was another bridge, but it was wider than the other one and was bordered by white fences. In front was a revolving door that merged with the wall; behind it, the Koopa Bros. were preparing some sort of contraption. For the most part, they were arguing while putting the finishing touches together.

Luigi took this time to hold the white-eyed hammer in his left hand and grip the handle tightly. As a result, a black shell with a white border appeared on his back while a helmet with the same appearance spawned on his head. Mario immediately recognized what Luigi turned into.

"The Hammer Suit! I remember that from the _'Super Mario Bros. 3_' play in 1988!" Mario remarked.

"So, I'm basically a human Hammer Bro?" Luigi asked.

"Looks like it to me. Just throw your palms forward and you'll shoot hammers like a Hammer Bro."

"Got it."

Just as Mario finished instructing Luigi on how to use the Hammer Suit properly, a giant robot with the appearance of Bowser rolled out in front of the group. Red Ninjakoopa controlled the robot while Blue, Yellow, and Green Ninjakoopa hid behind the revolving wall and observed the battle.

"What the hovering heck is that?!" Mario blurted.

"Gahahaha! I've been waiting for you, Mario and Luigi! Bwahahahahar!" Red Ninjakoopa yelled in a Bowser-like voice. "The strongest! And the coolest! Behold the glory that is the great evil King Bowser!"

Mario and Luigi pursed their lips to prevent themselves from laughing out loud; they thought it was the worst representation of Bowser they ever saw.

"It's time for me to beat these foolish ideas out of you! Saving Princess Peach? Please! Watch this and weep!" Red Ninjakoopa proceeded to slam the robot's arms up and down.

Finally, the Mario Bros. couldn't hold back their laughter anymore and fell onto the ground guffawing uncontrollably.

"Hey! This isn't even funny!" Red Ninjakoopa continued in his Bowser voice. "You should be fighting me! Not rolling on the ground like a bunch of babies!"

That comment caused the Mario Bros. to laugh even harder. All Bombette could do was stand still and watch nothing but two former plumbers crack up on the floor.

"This wasn't what I came here for..." Bombette sighed to herself. "I thought we made a deal to battle the Koopa Bros."

After fifteen more seconds, Mario and Luigi managed to stand back up, but continued to laugh hard.

"I... I c-can't br-breathe!" "Me n-neither!" Mario and Luigi cried respectively while clutching their stomachs.

"Hey! Snap out of it!" Bombette angrily ordered Mario and Luigi. "Stop laughing!"

"I-I'm s-sorry! We c-can't h-help but-" Mario started while the Bowser robot rolled in front of Mario and slammed its right arm on his head, knocking him to the floor again. "OOWWW!"

Luigi suddenly stopped laughing and quickly helped Mario up before both faced the Bowser robot.

"Oh, so NOW you're ready to fight me!" Red Ninjakoopa declared.

"I guess so..." Mario replied while holding his head in pain. "Just don't hit me like that again..."

"No one tells the evil King Bowser what to do! I make my own choices! Bwahahaha! Now bring it!"

For now, all Red Ninjakoopa could do was slam the robot's arms up and down, but little did Mario and Luigi know that he had another attack just in case. Mario jumped up and swung his hammer at the head while Luigi threw his suit's hammers at the torso, gradually ripping away the fabric that covered the robot.

"Come on! You can do better than just hammer me down!" Red Ninjakoopa said. "Try harder!"

But the Mario Bros. kept hammering away the robot's head and torso before Red Ninjakoopa pressed an orange button inside the robot to release a stream of fire from the mouth. Mario and Luigi quickly dodged the fire breath before they got burnt.

"Okay. You want to breath fire at us?" Mario asked.

"I wish to burn you to a crisp and eat you for dinner!" Red Ninjakoopa hollered. Mario stood in front of Bombette and Luigi.

"Then do it! Set me on fire! Burn my clothes!" Mario taunted.

"Gwahahaha! You asked for it, paisano!" Before Red Ninjakoopa could activate the fire breath again, Bombette lit her fuse before Luigi threw her at the robot's head, blowing up the entire robot. The force of the explosion caused Red Ninjakoopa and the remains of the robot to be sent flying in different directions.

"NOOO!" Red Ninjakoopa yelled as he fell to the dungeon below.

"One down, three to go," Bombette said. Blue, Yellow, and Green Ninjakoopa quickly ran out onto the bridge, angry that Red Ninjakoopa was defeated.

"That does it! We're not going to go easy on you anymore!" Blue Ninjakoopa grouched loudly. "Time for you to taste our super spinning attack!"

Green Ninjakoopa crouched down before Yellow and Blue Ninjakoopa hopped onto his shell. Mario placed his hammer sideways across his chest while Luigi held both fists in front.

"Combattici! (_Fight us!_)" Mario announced in Italian, prompting the remaining three Koopa Bros. to charge up their super spinning attack. As they spun faster and faster, their shells glowed bright orange because of the friction caused by the rapid spinning. Three seconds later, the Koopa Bros. charged Mario and Luigi.

Mario swung his hammer like hitting a backhand with a tennis racket while Luigi shot two hammers out of both palms. Yellow Ninjakoopa flew off the bridge to the right while Blue and Green Ninjakoopa bounced off the red door and landed at their starting position.

Upon hearing Yellow Ninjakoopa scream while falling, Blue Ninjakoopa leaned over the south fence to see him plummet to the dungeon.

"Urgh! Now you're ticking us off!" Blue Ninjakoopa roared. He jumped on Green Ninjakoopa's shell before both charged up their attack again.

"My turn!" Bombette said before lighting her fuse. At the same time Blue and Green Ninjakoopa hurtled forward, Bombette charged them and exploded so big that both also fell off the bridge into the dungeon.

"Brilliant job, everyone!" Mario congratulated Luigi and Bombette; Luigi and Mario high-fived each other while Mario softly patted Bombette's head.

Meanwhile, all four Koopa Bros. found themselves trapped in the dungeon with the broken pieces of their Bowser robot. It turned out that Bombette's friends sealed the hole in the wall with giant wood planks after Mario, Luigi, and Bombette resumed climbing the fortress.

"Hey! Hello? Somebody, let us out of here!" Red Ninjakoopa shouted while his brothers anxiously paced back and forth.

Back at the top of the tower, a glowing white orb rose up from the bridge's floor and hovered in the air for five seconds before bursting and imploding to reveal Eldstar trapped in his playing card. The group was mesmerized at the card's appearance. By the time the card spawned, Luigi's Hammer Suit disappeared, reverting him back to normal.

"So, that's how the Star Spirits were trapped?" Luigi asked.

"Apparently, yes," Mario said. "Now let's get that Star Spirit out of the fortress."

Immediately after Mario grabbed the card, a bright white light shined from above and the group slowly floated up with the card before fading away.


	13. To Mt Rugged

**Chapter 13: To Mt. Rugged**

It's now 9:10 AM. Back up in Peach's castle's master bedroom, she was crying by herself on her balcony. This time, she was really worried about Mario and Luigi's fates. Twink didn't notice her upset until he flew out to the balcony a half-minute later.

"What's wrong, Princess Peach?" Twink asked. Peach uncovered her face, which was a bit wet from her tears.

"I... I m-miss Mario...and L-Luigi so m-much..." Peach whimpered. "I d-don't...know if they're...g-gonna die or g-get..." Peach couldn't think of what else to say. "I just don't know, okay?! It's all just separation anxiety!"

"Calm down, Princess Peach," Twink said. "I'm absolutely sure Mario and Luigi are in great hands. They're probably saving some Star Spirits right now."

"Are they...?" Peach questioned with disbelief.

"I know you're still shaken from Mario's death before the Star Spirits saved him, but you have to be strong," Twink reassured Peach. "Just because you're a princess, it doesn't mean you were born to be helpless for life."

Hearing Twink's advice, Peach slowly calmed down, knowing she can do more than be trapped until Mario and Luigi save her. "You're right. I can't be helpless forever." Peach walked back into her room with Twink following behind.

"I just thought of something," Peach said, having come up with an idea.

"What is it?"

"I have to find a way out of my bedroom."

"But there are tons of guards just beyond your door, and you'll regret jumping off the balcony if you decide to," Twink warned Peach.

"Hold on..." Peach thought it over again before a new idea came up. "I remember Toadsworth telling me that there was a secret passage out of here."

"And where do you think it is?" Twink questioned.

"Let me see..." Peach walked around her room to find the secret passage until she remembered where it was located. "I think it's behind this small painting next to the fireplace."

Peach went over to the painting and took it off the wall to reveal a pink button, which she immediately pressed. As a result, the fire in the fireplace extinguished and the fence sunk into the ground before a small door opened in front.

"I knew it! I figured it was in the fireplace," Peach stated.

"Good job! Now we can get out of this room!" Twink responded. Both went through the passage and found themselves on a balcony-like structure with a candelabra on a shelf and another pink button below the shelf.

"If I remember correctly, this button will turn this stand a half-circle and we'll end up in the office study," Peach wondered out loud.

"I hope there's no one in the study," Twink said before Peach pushed the button. Within ten seconds, the stand turned 180 degrees and Peach and Twink entered the office study. Both were relieved that there were no guards present.

"Thank goodness," Twink sighed with relief. "Now where do we go?" Before Peach could answer Twink's question, she saw an open diary on the desk to her right.

"Twink, someone left a diary on that desk." Both walked up to the diary, which was open halfway. It didn't say who it was from.

"Should we read it?" Twink asked.

"Umm... I guess we should..." Peach hesitated.

"Oh, really? You like doing this sort of thing, do you?"

"Not exactly, but no one's looking, so we've got nothing to lose," Peach replied.

"Very well. Let's start on this page," Twink whispered while hovering over the right side of the diary.

The page read, "Dear Diary, early this morning, I went to the Star Road and stole the Star Rod. Now I'm invincible! Cool! I also captured those seven Star Spirits, so they won't annoy me anymore. It was a lot of hard work and I'm feeling pretty exhausted. Breakfast was nice but a bit bland."

"Uh, Twink?" Peach said. "I think this is Bowser's diary."

"What?! Why are we reading it?" Twink asked with shock.

"I don't know, but I feel it has some clues as to where some of the Star Spirits are being held."

"All right. Let's keep reading."

Peach turned to the next page, which read, "Dear Diary, today was great! I used my castle to lift Princess Peach's castle way up into the sky! Then I barged into the castle and did away with Mario! Yeah! Unbelievable, I know! So fun! And there's more! After that, I kidnapped Princess Peach! I've never been so happy in my life! I hope she likes me..."

"Are you kidding me?!" Peach interjected. "Why would Bowser want some sort of romantic relationship with me?"

"I can't answer that question, Princess Peach. Let's not worry about that," Twink replied.

The next page read, "Dear Diary, well, today was unfortunate. The Koopa Bros. were defeated by Mario and Luigi, who managed to set free that stupid Star Spirit I kept there. I'm so furious I can barely write! 'Ohh, look at us: the Mario Bros.! So big and strong and unstoppable...' I would force them to shut up my way if I was there, but I've got other things to do. On the bright side, there's no way in heck the Mario Bros. can save the Star Spirit being held in Dry Dry Ruins, which is somewhere in Dry Dry Desert. How would they even know how to reach the desert, though? Not a problem for me."

"Excellent! You think you can remember that, Twink?" Peach asked.

"Sure, I can! I'll go tell Mario and Luigi right away!" Twink answered before beginning to fly out of the office study. However, before he could leave, Bowser barged into the study, angry that he left his diary in the open.

"Dang it! I can't believe I left my secret diary lying out! It would be so embarrassing if somebody read that thing!" He immediately saw Peach standing in front and became angrier.

"Princess Peach! How did you get out, and why were you reading my diary?!" Bowser demanded.

"I don't know how I'm here, Bowser. Trust me, I would never-" Peach started to lie.

"No! Just shut up, okay?! You're not supposed to be here!" Bowser shouted. Having overheard Bowser's yelling, two Koopatrols entered the study, wanting to know what's going on.

"King Bowser! Is there a problem?" the first Koopatrol asked.

"You're the worst guards ever! Take Princess Peach back to her room, or else!"

"Yes, sir! Straight away! Forgive us, sir!" the second Koopatrol answered before he and the other Koopatrol picked up Peach and took her back to her room while she was screaming to put her down.

Meanwhile, Twink had successfully hidden from Bowser and waited until he left the study before flying out of the castle to find Mario and Luigi.

* * *

Rewinding back to 8:35 AM; Mario, Luigi, and Bombette reappeared through another white light and landed just outside the entrance of Koopa Bros. Fortress. Eldstar was there to thank them for rescuing him.

"Mario and Luigi, I believe you'll save us all..." Eldstar said. "From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate all you've done. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Eldstar." "Thanks for having faith in us," Mario and Luigi replied, respectively.

"Since you have freed me from my prison, the seal on my power is broken, and I will recover it little by little. As long as an ounce of power remains in me, I shall help you," Eldstar went on. He raised his arms up, causing Mario and Luigi to sparkle briefly; they were being given control of Eldstar's power. Shortly thereafter, another wristband appeared on Mario's left wrist. This one was black with seven yellow star-shaped buttons and a white circle on the top. A small segment of the wristband was gold-colored.

"What's this wristband do?" Mario asked as he gazed at the wristband.

"That is called the 'Star Power Band'," Eldstar explained. "It allows you to use our powers to help battle your enemies. The small gold bar indicates how much Star Energy you have; this Star Energy depicts how much of the Star Spirits' power you can use."

"All right-y."

"You see the seven star buttons on the band? If the gold bar reaches the star to the right of the white button, for example, it'll equal one unit of Star Energy. The more Star Spirits you rescue, the more units of Star Energy you receive. Are you getting all that so far?" Eldstar went on.

"Not really, but I'm trying to understand," Mario replied.

"Good. Allow me to teach you two Star Powers I have granted you and Luigi. The first is called 'Refresh'. What it does is cure you of any poison that some enemies could afflict upon you. It also acts as a strong aspirin if you feel too much pain during a battle. 'Refresh' costs one unit of Star Energy, which in this case, will deplete all of your Star Energy if activated," Eldstar said.

"This is where your next Star Power comes in. It's called 'Focus'. What it does is restore half a unit of Star Energy, but once you use it, there's a ten-second cooldown period before you can use 'Focus' again," Eldstar continued.

Mario nodded his head, having fully understood how to use the Star Power Band. "Okay. I think I understand now."

"Great. That wraps up my explanation, so you should be fully aware on how to rely on the Star Spirits if needed," Eldstar said. "But you and Luigi must save the remaining six Star Spirits quickly! If the seven of us come together, we'll be able to bestow upon you a Star Power called the Star Beam, which is the only thing that can counteract the Star Rod that Bowser wields."

"Is there something on Mario's Star Power Band that turns on the Star Beam?" Luigi asked.

"You'll see once you save us all," Eldstar responded. "I must leave immediately for the Star Road. But I'll always be watching you both!" Without hesitation, Eldstar rose up into the sky toward the Star Road.

"Well, I guess we should go back to Toad Town and see where we go from there," Mario stated. And so, the group began the 35-minute trip back to Toad Town. Along the way, the Mario Bros. talked with Bombette about their backstory up until today.

"How far are we?" Bombette asked; it's now 9:07 AM.

"Not too far, Bombette," Luigi answered. "Toad Town is dead ahead."

Suddenly, a familiar voice yelled out of nowhere, "Hold it right there, Mario! I've been waiting for you!"

"J.T.?" Mario wondered; he somehow recognized who it was. A second later, Jr. Troopa popped out of the bushes and charged toward Mario and Luigi; both dodged in time, causing Jr. Troopa to slide down the grass for a short while before running back in front of Mario.

"Mario! Listen to me!" Jr. Troopa declared. "I know you beat me up at my playground yesterday, but I'm not gonna stop fighting until I win for sure!"

"Who is this kid...?" Bombette asked Luigi.

"Why would I know? It's the first time I saw this babyish Koopa," Luigi replied.

Having overheard Luigi and Bombette's private conversation, Jr. Troopa yelled, "Hey! I'm NOT a baby! That's the last thing I'd want to be called!"

"But you haven't left your eggshell for who knows how long; therefore, you must be a whiny manchild who wants everything his way," Mario teased.

"Enough insulting me! Just hold still while I show you a new skill I picked up!" Jr. Troopa said. He crouched down, hiding himself completely in his eggshell. Mario took the short time to take out his Fire Flower Goompa gave him yesterday, crush it in his hand, and turn into Fire Mario.

"Luigi, stand back," Mario instructed Luigi, who backed up several steps. While hidden in his eggshell, Jr. Troopa ran backward for two seconds before tumbling toward Mario.

At the last second, Mario leaped up and landed on Jr. Troopa's head, slightly cracking the shell.

"No! You can't do that! If you destroy my eggshell, I'll-" Jr. Troopa started before Mario uppercutted him in the air and shot some fireballs at him. The eggshell steamed for a few seconds but stayed intact.

"That's it! I've had enough with you fighting back! When I say, 'Stay still!', you stay still, okay?!" Jr. Troopa demanded before hiding in his eggshell again and running backward.

"I got it this time," Bombette said before lighting her fuse. She charged Jr. Troopa at the same time he started tumbling forward. Mario threw a fireball at Bombette, creating an explosion larger than Bombette had ever made; the force of the explosion caused Jr. Troopa to fly really high over Toad Town and off to the west.

"I hope that killed him," Luigi said as Mario's Fire form wore off.

"I don't think so, bro," Mario replied. "J.T. will probably pick himself back up every time he's down."

"Is that his name?"

"It's actually 'Jr. Troopa', but someone told me his nickname is 'J.T.'" Mario explained. "Let's keep going."

After arriving back in Toad Town, Mario and Luigi heard a sparkling noise behind them and turned to see where it came from. It was Twink, who finally found them after three minutes of searching.

"Mario! Luigi! It's me, Twink. Remember me?" Twink asked.

"Yeah, we do. We met each other earlier this morning," Mario replied.

"Well, glad to see you again. I came over because I heard you saved one of the honorable Star Spirit who was captured by the Koopa Bros. I bet Bowser and his gang are so angry about it! Great job so far!"

"Thanks. How's Princess Peach doing?" Mario asked.

"She's doing just fine. Princess Peach is so worried about you two, but I told her you're trying your hardest," Twink said. "Anyway, the main reason why I'm here is because I have some important news to share. It seems that one of the Star Spirits is being held captive somewhere in Dry Dry Desert, which is what Bowser wrote in his secret diary. He said something about this place called Dry Dry Ruins, but no one knows how to access it, so it's up to you to figure out this mystery."

"All right-y. Thanks again, Twink." "Tell Princess Peach we'll be there for her in no time," Mario and Luigi said respectively.

"I sure will, Mario and Luigi. If me and Princess Peach find out anything else, I'll hurry back to tell you," Twink assured Mario and Luigi. "Have a nice day." With that, Twink began to fly all the way back to Peach's castle.

"How do we get to Dry Dry Desert?" Luigi asked.

"I don't know, but it's best we ask for directions now," Mario replied. Mario led Luigi and Bombette to the Information Center near the entrance to Toad Town and the pipe to Mario's Pad. Inside the Information Center was the receptionist, Daniel T.

"Good morning, Mario. How can I help you and your brother?" Daniel asked.

"Well, Daniel, we recently heard about this place called Dry Dry Desert, which is said to have some sort of mystery within. Is there any way we can get to the desert?" Mario requested.

"Usually, it's not safe for anyone to walk across Dry Dry Desert because of how dangerous it is, but if you want to visit it so badly, the only way to find the desert is to climb Mt. Rugged." Daniel explained.

"What's the quickest way to Mt. Rugged?" Luigi asked.

"I'd recommend taking the Toad Express to the mountain. It's down at the Toad Town Railway at the southern end of the city."

"Thank you so much, Daniel," Mario thanked Daniel. "When's the earliest time today that the train leaves?"

"It leaves at 9:45 this morning, so you'll have plenty of time to get to the station. I wish you two the best of luck and try not to get hurt out there."

"Thanks again," Mario said before he, Luigi, and Bombette set off for the Toad Town Railway: a walk that took 20 minutes.

By the time the group arrived at the station, it was 9:39 AM. Luigi took out his phone to check what time it was.

"We're just in time, bro," Luigi said.

Mario walked up to the conductor, who was standing next to the locomotive on the front.

"Good morning, sir," Mario greeted the conductor. "I heard from the Information Center that this train goes to Mt. Rugged. Do me and my brother need tickets?"

"Not at all, Mario. Just hop on in and we'll be more than glad to take you to the mountain," the conductor replied. Mario beckoned Luigi and Bombette to approach the train.

"Right this way, Mario Bros." the conductor led the group to the passenger car in between the caboose and coal car. "Find your seats quickly because we're leaving pretty soon."

Without hesitation, the group boarded the train and took their seats. Mario gazed around the passenger car and remarked, "Looks like we got the whole train to ourselves."

"I know, right?" Luigi replied before reclining his seat back. "I'm so glad we don't have to walk all the way to Mt. Rugged."

About a minute later, the conductor announced from the locomotive through its comm system, "All aboard for Mt. Rugged! Please take your seats at this time; we're departing in less than two minutes."

After another two minutes, the Toad Express's horn went off, signaling the train's departure.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our trip to Mt. Rugged will be at least one hour and ten minutes; the arrival time at this point should be between 10:55 and 11:00 this morning, depending on how much traffic there is on the railroad," the conductor went on while Mario reclined his seat before helping Bombette with her seat. "And now, we ask that you sit back and enjoy the ride. Good morning."


	14. The Driest Desert of All

**Chapter 14: The Driest Desert of All**

"No, thank you. Me and Luigi had omelets earlier this morning," Mario told the conductor, who offered Eggs Benedict to him and Luigi as a late breakfast. The time is now 10:30 AM; 25 minutes before the predicted arrival at Mt. Rugged.

"All right. You want a drink, then?" the conductor asked.

"I was about to ask that. I'll take a cup of regular coffee and Luigi will have a decaf."

"Coming up." The conductor proceeded into the caboose, which served as a small kitchen within the train.

"How are you holding up, bro?" Mario asked Luigi.

"Doing just fine. I'm glad I haven't fell asleep yet," Luigi replied.

"Me neither," Bombette added in. "I've been really active ever since you freed me from the fortress."

The conductor came back with Mario and Luigi's coffee drinks a few seconds later. Even though Luigi's cup had no caffeine in it, the hot temperature was enough to energize him.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen," the conductor announced after making his way into the locomotive 21 minutes later. "We will be arriving at Mt. Rugged in less than five minutes. Passengers heading for Dry Dry Desert or Dry Dry Outpost should proceed directly over Mt. Rugged from the station. It will take time to turn this train around for the return trip to Toad Town, so keep your ears open for the next departure."

Before the Mario Bros. and Bombette knew it, the Toad Express slowed to a halt after approaching the end of the railway. As they exited the train, the conductor also stepped out to give them some parting words.

"I wish you the best of luck traversing beyond the mountain," the conductor said. "Be aware of any traps or enemies in your path."

"Don't worry about us," Luigi responded. "We're 'super' enough to walk the desert."

"Very well. In that case, have a nice late morning."

Without further ado, the group began climbing Mt. Rugged, which was situated at a higher altitude than Toad Town; about 8,400 feet above sea level (Toad Town is at 100 feet above sea level).

Mario knew that climbing high-altitude mountains increased the chances of getting sunburnt because of the atmosphere thinning out. Also, the oxygen level decreases slowly the higher the group went, meaning that they could get dehydrated without drinking enough water.

"Oh shtick," Mario groaned. "I didn't bring canteens or sunscreen with us."

"Well, as long as we hurry across, there might be water up ahead," Luigi reassured Mario. Along the way, the group encountered Monty Moles and Clefts that patrolled the mountain. Unfortunately, the Clefts were too strong for Mario's hammer; he nearly broke it while trying to hammer one of the Clefts.

"If you try to pound another one of those walking rocks, you won't have a weapon with you," Bombette warned Mario. On a ledge next to a steep slope there was a flower sticking up from the sand underneath.

"How is there a flower in the middle of the mountain?" Mario asked.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't pull it out. It's probably the only plant we'll see here," Luigi answered. Suddenly, a creature in the form of a giant onion popped up, startling the group.

"Whoa! Who are you?" Mario questioned the plant.

"Well, hello there. My name is Bub-ulb. I came from Flower Fields, the wonderful land of flowers," the plant said.

"And you ended up on a mountain out of all places?" Bombette chimed in.

"For some reason, yes," the Bub-ulb replied. "But Bub-ulbs like me exist to spread the wondrous flowers of Flower Fields all over your land. You like flowers, don't you?"

"As a matter of fact, we do have a small flower garden on our property," Mario said.

"How lovely. Who doesn't like flowers after all? For that reason, I'll entrust this to your care." The Bub-ulb proceeded to spit out a blue seed which Mario picked up and stowed in his overalls pocket.

"What kind of seed is this?"

"It's a Magical Seed. If it's well cared for, a beautiful flower will bloom. These flowers are delicate..." the Bub-ulb explained. "Only one with a loving heart can make them bloom in beauty. Please take good care of it, for beauty is fragile." The Bub-ulb walked in the opposite direction of where Mario and friends came from.

"How about we keep it in our pad until we find where to plant it?" Luigi offered.

"Sure. Let's hurry along now. I'm starting to feel thirsty." Within three minutes, the group found a small river with a waterfall. "Finally!"

Because Mario and Luigi had no canteen with them, all they could do was jump into the river and stick their heads in the waterfall and lap up a good amount of water before setting off again.

"I can't have any water; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to function like a regular Bob-omb," Bombette said.

It took another 20 minutes before the Mario Bros. and Bombette reached the boundary that separated Mt. Rugged from Dry Dry Desert.

"All right-y. Here we go," Mario declared calmly. "The ultimate environment with no water around us: a huge desert."

"I hope I don't get blisters on my feet from the sand," Luigi said before the group entered the desert. There was basically nothing but yellowish white sand, small boulders, and occasional brown cacti. "You know they say that a cactus holds water in it?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Mario asked.

"I read online that the cactus water is actually poisonous and can make a human so sick to the point where he could die."

"Wow. I didn't know that my whole life," Mario responded.

"Me neither," Bombette added in. "I guess the 'cactus water' thing was a myth after all."

After ten minutes of walking, the group spotted three Koopa Troopa explorers next to a medium-sized tent. They approached one of the explorers sporting a small mustache.

"Good late morning, sir," Mario greeted the explorer. "What's with the tent here?"

"Well, old boy, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Jesse Kolorado, an archaeologist whose ambition is to travel all around the world for the most exotic treasures ever."

"I'm Mario, and this is my brother Luigi," Mario introduced himself and Luigi.

"Nice to meet you two," Dr. Kolorado said. "I've heard all about your own worldwide travels, not to mention you saving Princess Peach from those evil Koopas."

"Were you gonna tell us about-" Luigi started to ask.

"I'm getting there, Luigi," Dr. Kolorado butted in. "Me and my two assistants are out here to find the Dry Dry Ruins. Legend tells of an Ancient Artifact deep within the ruins, and we're on a quest to retrieve that treasure for our Museum of Archaeology."

"We've attempted to get information from Dry Dry Outpost, which is way to the east," Dr. Kolorado continued. "But, unfortunately, we're having little success and all we need is a clue before we go any further."

"How about me and Mario go to Dry Dry Outpost and get the clue for you?" Luigi offered.

"Why, that would make my day!" Dr. Kolorado exclaimed. "I'll be waiting right here for you and we'll find the ruins together!"

"Deal," Mario replied before shaking Dr. Kolorado's hand. "We'll try to be as quick as possible, Dr. Kolorado."

"Good luck, old boys. Try not to get lost out there, please," Dr. Kolorado said before the group walked east.

Along the way, there were Bandits and Pokeys running around the desert. The Bandits tried desperately to steal any Coins that Mario and Luigi kept as pocket money, but none of them succeeded. The Pokeys in this desert were totally different than the ones Mario and Luigi saw in the past; these Pokeys attacked by either slamming their bodies flat on the ground or throwing one of their body segments as projectiles.

Again, Mario used his "baseball technique" by deflecting the Pokeys' body segments back at them with his hammer.

"I'm sweating buttloads, bro..." Luigi said in a tired tone of voice; his face was damp from his sweat.

"Me too. But at least we're not too thirsty just yet," Mario said while fanning himself with his cap. After another 20 minutes, Mario could barely see a signpost in the distance and squinted his eyes because of the sun reflecting off the sand.

"I can't see that well. What is that?"

"I don't know," Luigi answered. "Maybe it's just an-" Suddenly, Luigi spotted a grassy area with two big trees to his right. "Hold on a second..." Mario and Bombette turned to see the area too.

"No way... That's so not real..." Mario murmured. He assumed that it was a mirage but decided to press onward.

"Mario! Luigi! I found water!" Bombette called out; she ran up to the grassy area and found a pool of water in the middle. Mario and Luigi didn't know about it because their eyes were closed due to sweat dripping down their faces. "Come on. You can open your eyes now."

Mario and Luigi slowly opened their eyes and almost immediately jumped into the pool to cool themselves off.

"That's what I thought," Bombette said to herself. "How does it feel, guys?"

"Refreshing!" Mario replied. "It's about time we found an oasis!" After four minutes of swimming around, Mario and Luigi got out of the pool and studied the two trees. Eventually, they found that both bore lemons and limes respectively.

"What are we gonna do with these?" Luigi asked while he and Mario picked two lemons and two limes.

"I'm hoping when we get to Dry Dry Outpost, we could have someone make lemonade or limeade for us." The group then set off again for Dry Dry Outpost after another five minutes of cooling down. What will await Mario and friends at the outpost?

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Just so you're aware, I do not plan on including Parakarry in this fanfic because in the original game, he joined the party so that he can deliver letters, which is a lengthy sidequest that is not story-relevant. Sorry about the inconvenience.**


	15. Dry Dry Outpost

**Chapter 15: Dry Dry Outpost**

After over an hour and a half from the time Mario, Luigi, and Bombette began climbing Mt. Rugged and traversing Dry Dry Desert, they finally came across Dry Dry Outpost: a small town set up by a small tribe of Little Mousers and Dryites.

"Welcome to Dry Dry Outpost, folks!" a Dryite near the outpost entrance said to the group. "We're so pleased to see you."

"Thank you," Mario panted. "We've come a really long way from Toad Town."

"I can tell. Why don't I take you to the Pitstop?" the Dryite proceeded to lead the group toward the Pitstop, which is a small cafe that serves Mexican cuisine-type foods ranging from fajitas to tamales. Mario and Luigi were instantly relieved after entering the air-conditioned cafe.

"I see you've got a couple lemons and limes," the Dryite pointed out. "You want me to juice them up for you?"

"Yes, please," Mario replied while giving the Dryite one lemon and one lime. "I'd like a strawberry lemonade."

"And I'll have a cherry limeade," Luigi added in.

"Great choices. Find yourselves a table and I'll get your drinks going." After sitting down; Mario, Luigi, and Bombette talked a little bit about how to get information about Dry Dry Ruins.

"Who do we ask in this town?" Mario asked Luigi.

"Let's try and talk with as much residents as possible because some might be really rude," Luigi answered.

"I hope they don't steal your Coins like those red guys back there," Bombette commented, referring to the Bandits in the desert.

"All right, folks. One strawberry lemonade and one cherry limeade. You have a nice afternoon," the Dryite said while handing Mario and Luigi their drinks.

"Uh, sir? Before you go, I have a question to ask," Mario requested.

"What is it?"

"We were told by an archaeologist called Dr. Kolorado about this place called Dry Dry Ruins and how there's an artifact hidden inside. Do you know how to find the ruins?" Mario asked.

"I'm sorry. I don't know. But I can tell you that our town leader Mr. Moustafa should know the answer. The problem is, though, Mr. Moustafa has not shown himself lately. I suggest you try finding him first."

"Thanks for the info," Luigi thanked the Dryite.

"Sure thing. I hope you manage to get to the ruins," the Dryite said before walking off.

"This is the first time I had a lemonade in forever," Mario remarked while drinking his lemonade.

Ten minutes later, the Mario Bros. and Bombette wandered around Dry Dry Outpost, hoping to get some answers about Mr. Moustafa's whereabouts. The good news was nearly everyone in the town was nice and pleasant, but they unfortunately did not know where he was. Eventually, they came across a green Little Mouser with a beige-colored cloak and turban at the far end of the outpost.

"Hello. Is there something I can do for you?" the Little Mouser asked.

"We've been going around town asking everyone about your leader Mr. Moustafa," Luigi said. "You seem to be the only guy left."

"If you can give me something nice, I'll tell you about him."

Mario took out his second lemon and asked, "How about this lemon?"

"Oh, thank you so much! This lemon is the nicest of nice things! You've proven you're nice by giving me my favorite thing."

"Before you ask, my name's Sheek, an information trader with a source for gossip," Sheek introduced himself after receiving the lemon. "Mr. Moustafa doesn't really come out of his place often, but there is one way to find him. In the shop of this town, you must buy a Dried Shroom and a Dusty Hammer in that order. This is a secret sign known to those loyal to Moustafa. The owner of the shop will let you see Moustafa if you follow my instructions. Understood?"

"We understand," Mario replied.

"Good. Farewell for now," Sheek bid the group goodbye before they set off for the shop; he then quickly ran into the building closest to him and locked the door.

Inside the shop; Mario, Luigi, and Bombette stopped for a second to plan things out.

"I think the Dusty Hammer is in the 'Appliances' aisle," Mario wondered out loud. "Luigi, you go look in the produce section for the Dried Shroom."

It didn't take long for Mario and Bombette to find the Dusty Hammer because it was just around the corner at the end of the "Appliances" aisle. It resembled a smaller version of Mario's hammer with the exception being a small coat of dust covering the hammer and two white bandages in an X-shape on one side.

"Someone must have rushed while building this," Mario said to himself while wiping the dust off the hammer.

Just as Mario and Bombette walked to the produce section, he found Luigi sifting through the portobello mushroom shelf; some of the mushrooms were shriveled up.

"Any luck?" Bombette asked.

"Almost," Luigi answered. "I see some dried ones, but I want the one that's the driest. I mean, that's what the item is called, right?" Before Luigi knew it, he found a mushroom that was completely wilted and had the texture of lightweight wood. "Perfect!"

The group quickly went to the cash register, where the shop owner served as the clerk.

"You found everything you needed?" the owner asked.

"Yes, sir," Mario answered before handing the owner the Dried Shroom first before the Dusty Hammer. Immediately after ringing up both items in that order, the owner's eyes widened a bit.

"What ho! Buying a Dusty Hammer after a Dried Shroom... That's the secret sign that only friends of Mr. Moustafa know!" the owner exclaimed. "That means you three are in with Moustafa!"

"We're not friends with him, but we'd like to know where he is," Mario said.

"I'll tell you right now. He's usually up on the roofs of Dry Dry Outpost; his house is on the westernmost building of the town."

"Thank you so much," Mario thanked the owner.

"No problem. That'll be fifteen Coins all together."

While Mario paid for the two items, Luigi requested as he took out his second lime, "I'd like to sell this lime, please."

"Sure, you may. I'll give you five in return for that." The owner took the lime before giving Luigi five Coins and bagging the Dried Shroom and Dusty Hammer for Mario. "Have a good afternoon."

After the group left the store, they went back to the far end of the outpost and found a tall pile of crates just outside the perimeter and right next to the eastmost building. They then scaled the crates onto the rooftops and backtracked to the west before coming across a small house above the entrance. Mario left the bagged Dried Shroom and Dusty Hammer to the right of the front door.

Mario knocked on the door before it opened a couple seconds later. Sheek was standing in front of him.

"Well, we meet again, nice guys," Sheek said, leading everyone inside. "I'm glad you found me."

"Have you been-" Mario started to ask before Sheek took off his cloak.

"Yes, I am Moustafa. I use the name 'Sheek' while I walk around the outpost," Moustafa said. "I meet people all the time, but you are by far the nicest guys I've met in my life. Actually, you look very familiar... You're Mario and Luigi, correct?"

"That's us, Mr. Moustafa," Mario answered. "Can you tell us about Dry Dry Ruins?"

"If you're on an important journey there, I will tell you the secret," Moustafa began. "Dry Dry Ruins is a very important place. My ancestors have watched over it for many generations. If I do not keep evil folk out of the ruins, who will? You must promise me not to tell anyone this secret."

"We promise," Mario said.

"First off, let me give you this." Moustafa went to his cabinet and took out a pink gem before handing it to Mario. "This gem is called the Pulse Stone. It's the key to finding Dry Dry Ruins. Take it to the desert, and it will vibrate and flash as you get close to the ruins. The closer you get to the ruins, the faster the Pulse Stone will vibrate and flash. Follow where it leads you. You'll see a big boulder with a hole in it; it's at that point the Pulse Stone will vibrate and flash the fastest. Once at the boulder, put it into the hole to open the way."

"Thanks for your help, Moustafa," Mario told Moustafa before he, Luigi, and Bombette left his house. "Ready to go all the way back to Dr. Kolorado?" he asked Luigi and Bombette. Both nodded in agreement before they followed Mario off the rooftops and out the outpost's entrance.

It was 1 PM when the group left Dry Dry Outpost for the long walk back to Dr. Kolorado's campsite. By the time they arrived at the campsite, the Pulse Stone was vibrating and flashing every two seconds.

"Welcome back, old boys," Dr. Kolorado greeted Mario and Luigi. "Did you find any good info?"

"We got to meet the outpost leader Mr. Moustafa and he gave us this Pulse Stone," Mario said before showing Dr. Kolorado the Pulse Stone.

"What does it do?"

"I think it's like a compass that'll show us to where Dry Dry Ruins is. It'll flash and vibrate more and more if we're close," Mario explained.

"That's brilliant!" Dr. Kolorado exclaimed. "I can't wait to see what's inside the ruins! It's been one of my recent dreams."

"Well, let's-a go there right now," Mario said. "Luigi, take the Pulse Stone and tell us how close we are." Mario handed Luigi the Pulse Stone before leading him, Bombette, and Dr. Kolorado off into the desert again.

The group wandered aimlessly for about twenty-five minutes while Luigi glanced at the Pulse Stone every few seconds. Finally, he saw the holed boulder at the same time the Pulse Stone vibrated and flashed at a constant pace.

"There it is," Luigi said while pointing at the boulder. "Here you go, bro."

Mario took the Pulse Stone and speed-walked to the boulder before inserting the Pulse Stone into the hole. Nothing happened, though. Everything stayed quiet before Dr. Kolorado broke the silence.

"Why is everything quiet? I thought the ruins would rise in front of us," Dr. Kolorado said.

Before Mario could answer Dr. Kolorado's question, the boulder sunk into the sand and the ground shook violently, knocking the group over.


	16. Dry Dry Ruins

**Chapter 16: Dry Dry Ruins**

At the same time Mario, Luigi, Bombette, and Dr. Kolorado fell over due to the intense rumbling; the sky darkened quickly as if the sun had already set. The rumbling even made the Dry Dry Outpost residents panic and run all over the place.

After a couple seconds, Mario and Luigi slowly got up, but remained seated and watched in awe as a giant bright-yellow stoned temple rose from the sand, eventually making its full appearance in just 27 seconds. Shortly thereafter, a giant staircase unfolded and locked into place in front of a lit-up passage leading into the temple.

"That...was the most unreal thing I've seen in a while..." Luigi uttered as the group stood back up.

"I know. Even more unreal than the time Exor stabbed through Bowser's castle and destroyed the bridge," Mario responded.

"Why did it turn to night all of a sudden?" Dr. Kolorado asked.

"I know someone who knows the answer," Mario said as he stood next to Bombette and pressed the #2 button on his Partner Collection Band. He then spawned Goombario using the #1 button.

"Nice to see you again, Mario!" Goombario exclaimed. "How long have I been in there?"

"For several hours now," Mario answered. "What was it like in that wristband?"

"Very spacious. I was, like, in a hotel room complete with a bed and office desk." Luigi saw Goombario's reappearance and approached him.

"Goombario! Where have you been?" Luigi asked.

"I'll tell you later," Goombario replied. "Was there something you need, Mario?"

"Two things: I want to know a bit more about Dry Dry Ruins in front of us, and it would be cool if you went inside the ruins with us and checked it out yourself," Mario requested.

"Well, you asked the right guy," Goombario began. "Really long ago, a group of nomads came across this barren spot in the desert, holding a bunch of gold and valuable statues. They took the time to dig deep underground, collect a bunch of bricks and stones, and build that huge temple, which took at least 20 years to complete."

"And it all paid off in the end," Goombario went on. "Despite some of the nomads dying of thirst and hunger, mainly because they had trouble finding an oasis, they successfully completed the ruins without any structural mishaps whatsoever. They then buried the ruins and carried away this gem called the Pulse Stone, which was powerful enough to reveal the ruins. Not one nomad wanted anyone to steal their treasures, hence why the ruins was hidden underground."

"What's with the dark skies, Goombario?" Luigi asked.

"It's a temporary thing, Luigi," Goombario replied. "The sky darkened because maybe the power of the Pulse Stone created a giant upside-down shadow that the ruins casted toward the sky while it rose from the sand."

"An upside-down shadow?!" Mario exclaimed in disbelief.

"I know you're just as confused as I am, but I do have a feeling that there's a Star Spirit in that temple," Goombario said.

"And some precious treasure too!" Dr. Kolorado added in, attracting Goombario's attention.

"Who might you be?"

"Dr. Jesse Kolorado. I've had an ambition to find some treasure in Dry Dry Ruins," Dr. Kolorado introduced himself. "Let's go in there now!"

"All right-y!" Mario declared. "Lead the way, Dr. Kolorado!" Without hesitation, the group speed-walked up the staircase into the ruins. By the time they entered the ruins, the sky went back to normal and the entry passage darkened a small bit.

It wasn't long before an echoey deep voice boomed from the ceiling, "Bleeag, blooooaaaagh! I'm the huge, scary Tutankoopa: remorseless king of the desert!"

The voice made all but Luigi flinch; Luigi shrieked and ran backwards until he hit his head on the wall behind him.

"Who dares set foot in my temple of the sands? Speak and be known!" Tutankoopa roared.

"That's none of your business!" Mario answered. "We're going in whether you like it or not!"

"Well, begone from this place now, or disaster will befall you!"

As soon as Tutankoopa finished his threat, Mario hurried up to Luigi, who was holding his head in pain.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Mario asked.

"Don't be dumb, bro!" Luigi retorted. "You know I get scared easily from loud noises!"

"It was just a voice, Luigi," Mario explained. "No one's physically following us in."

"Can we move on now?" Dr. Kolorado asked with impatience.

"We're going, Dr. Kolorado," Mario replied. The group resumed their trek through the ruins, passing by two sarcophagi with a Pokey face on their fronts. While Mario, Goombario, and Dr. Kolorado paid no mind to the sarcophagi, Luigi was paranoid about something popping out of them. Luckily, the sarcophagi stayed closed. There were two doors at the end of the hall; the top one had a keylock on it.

"I know there's a key down there," Dr. Kolorado pointed out as he walked inside the bottom room. There was a doorway that was too high for him to climb through, but he managed to find the key hidden inside a brick below the doorway. Although he expected it to be a trap, nothing happened, relieving Dr. Kolorado as he rejoined the group.

"Good work, Doc," Goombario complimented Dr. Kolorado.

"There's a doorway that I can't reach down there. How do we get through it?"

"I'll figure it out myself," Mario said while unlocking the door and entering the top room. The floor was made of packed sand and a small pink brick stuck out from a podium to his left. He stepped on the brick, causing the sand to sink through a funnel and fill in half of the bottom room, allowing access through the doorway.

"I guess that's one way to elevate or lower the floor," Mario remarked. "No machines needed."

While the group walked across the packed sand in the bottom room, Goombario asked Luigi, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm kinda okay, but I feel a bit uneven," Luigi replied. "Who knows if this temple is haunted?"

Before Mario could acknowledge Luigi's comment, Tutankoopa's voiced boomed out of nowhere, "Fools! You have ignored my warning, haven't you?!" Out of startlement, Luigi slammed his hands on his ears and fell over. "Keep it up, and you will fall to my legions and become mummies of the sands!"

"It wasn't on purpose, guys!" Luigi protested while standing back up. "You know me well enough!"

"I understand, bro. Just don't let it get to you," Mario reassured Luigi.

"Now where do we go?" Dr. Kolorado asked as he gazed around the tall room. There was an open doorway in front and two doors on either wall of the bottom floor; the left one was locked.

"I'll go see what's in that room in front," Goombario said before taking off through the open doorway. Again, there was a floor made of packed sand and a key in plain sight.

"Why is this so-" Goombario started to ask himself after taking the key. Suddenly, three Buzzy Beetles dropped from the ceiling and began to ambush Goombario, who called for help.

Mario immediately rushed in and stomped on all the Buzzy Beetles before tossing them out of three windows in the tall room.

"I swear I could've headbonked those Buzzy Beetles, but they were moving too fast," Goombario admitted.

"Not a problem. At least you got another key," Mario responded before unstrapping his Star Power Band and giving it to Luigi.

"Here. You're in charge of releasing Eldstar if needed. I'll control which partners we need."

"That's so nice of you," Luigi thanked Mario after strapping the band to his right wrist. "I promise I'll help heal whoever's hurt."

With that being said, the group went downstairs and approached the two locked doors. Mario beckoned Luigi, Goombario, and Dr. Kolorado to go through the left-side door. Inside this room, there were three Pokey-faced sarcophagi and two aerial platforms attached to the wall with a pink staircase and a pink button that rotates the staircase to either platform.

"Oh God..." Luigi muttered upon seeing the sarcophagi. "Not these again..." Meanwhile, Mario spotted a Yellow Question Mark Block at the left end of the room with a locked door.

"It's either a powerup or another key..." Mario wondered. He didn't hesitate in hitting the block from underneath, but what happened next turned out to be a trap.

As soon as the block was hit, nothing came out of it and the block fell on the floor. At the same time, the sarcophagi opened, releasing three Pokey Mummies.

"AAHH! NO!" Luigi screamed. He tried running to the right, but two of the Pokey Mummies stopped him from going anywhere. Goombario and Dr. Kolorado quickly came up with a plan to help Luigi: Dr. Kolorado hid in his shell before Goombario launched him toward the Pokey Mummies' heads, killing them instantly.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Mario, the third Pokey Mummy hurried in from behind and tossed one of its spiked bodies into Mario's back, poisoning him in the process and turning his skin light purple.

"LUIGI...! I'M... I FEEL...SICK...!" Mario loudly groaned as he fell on the floor. Relieved that the Pokey Mummies that cornered him were gone, Luigi threw the Star Power Band towards Mario, who caught it and immediately put it on his left wrist before activating the "Refresh" power. He was immediately cured, restoring his skin to normal, and giving him his energy back, but he still felt sick to his stomach. Simultaneously, Dr. Kolorado and Goombario defeated the last Pokey Mummy.

Luigi and Goombario rushed up to Mario while Dr. Kolorado found another key in the center sarcophagus.

"Thanks...bro..." Mario moaned. "I don't...feel good..."

"Are you gonna puke?" Goombario asked.

"I don't...know... Maybe not..." Mario replied while standing back up. He held his stomach for a couple seconds before Dr. Kolorado came back with the key.

"Let's keep going, guys!" Dr. Kolorado said before he unlocked the door and led the group further into the ruins. The next room had two doorways; one in front and one below on the bottom floor's right wall. There was also a crack on the bottom floor's left wall; Mario quickly released Bombette and had her blow up the crack before going with her into a tall shaft.

"What do we do?" Luigi asked Dr. Kolorado. "Should we wait?"

"Let's go in the room ahead of us," Dr. Kolorado replied. "Maybe the treasure is in there."

At the same time Luigi and Dr. Kolorado went forward, Mario and Bombette dropped down to the very bottom, found another crack on the wall in front and destroyed that wall before going into the next room. There was a treasure chest on a flat podium that Mario quickly opened. Inside of it was a fuchsia diamond-shaped stone.

"What is this thing?" Mario asked himself. Suddenly, a Stone Chomp popped out of the wall to the right of Mario and homed in on him. Mario shrieked with terror and ran all around the room, attempting to avoid the Stone Chomp. Bombette quickly blew her herself up as soon as the Stone Chomp passed directly over her, destroying it entirely.

"Whew! Thanks a bunch, Bombette," Mario thanked Bombette after sighing with relief.

"You're welcome. Let's go back to Luigi and Dr. Kolorado," Bombette replied. Both returned to the tall room and climbed a ladder on the right wall before reentering the room with the two doorways, but Luigi and Dr. Kolorado were nowhere in sight.

"Where are they?" Mario asked as both looked around for Luigi and Dr. Kolorado.

Rewinding a few minutes earlier, Dr. Kolorado and Luigi found themselves in a long hall with teal and pink staircases with their respective buttons.

"Now this is a challenge," Luigi said after inspecting the staircases. "Where will they lead us?"

"Let's find out after solving this puzzle," Dr. Kolorado replied. Both took several minutes to move the staircases around the aerial platforms attached to the wall and eventually found themselves next to a big treasure chest.

"This could be it!" Dr. Kolorado exclaimed after approaching the treasure chest. "I can't wait!" He opened the chest and discovered a golden statue and an iron hammer with a bronze handle. "Aha! I knew it!"

"What did you find?" Luigi asked.

"I found a hammer and the Ancient Artifact! Victory is ours!" Dr. Kolorado picked up the hammer and the Ancient Artifact before giving the hammer to Luigi. "I don't think this hammer counts as a treasure, but I'm sure it can serve you well."

"Actually, I should give this to Mario," Luigi responded before spotting a Stone Block behind him and destroying it with the iron hammer. "That wooden one is too weak for him."

"But don't you need a weapon?"

"I prefer powerups instead, but thanks for asking." Luigi went down the long hall and rejoined Mario and Bombette.

Mario gasped upon seeing the iron hammer. "No way! Can I have it?!" Mario asked with excitement.

"It's all yours, bro." Luigi handed Mario the iron hammer before Mario tossed the wooden hammer through the long hall in front.

"Screw that wooden hammer!" Mario declared. "I like this one better!" He then proceeded to go back through the hall to his right with the intention of discovering the second doorway in the room with the three windows.

"It's cool how we discover different areas by splitting up," Dr. Kolorado remarked. "I guess that makes things easier."

Meanwhile, Mario hurried through the windowed room and through the right-side doorway into another room similar to the one with the diamond stone, except there was a seafoam green triangle-shaped stone inside a treasure chest. Again, a Stone Chomp popped out from Mario's left, but Mario acted quick and destroyed the Stone Chomp with his hammer. He then ran back to the group and beckoned them to go through the doorway on the bottom floor.

In the next hall were five Stone Chomp statues; each of them had five indents in their middles.

"Do we put this diamond and triangle in those statues?" Mario asked after taking out both stones.

"I think so. Let me figure this out." Luigi took the stones and took a minute to figure out where to put them but couldn't make a decision. "We need a clue for this puzzle."

On the wall in front were two doorways; Luigi went through the top one while Mario went through the bottom one.

"Man, both of them are making progress fast," Bombette told Dr. Kolorado.

In the top room, as soon as Luigi went inside, Tutankoopa's voice called out again, "Turn back, thieves! Your time is running out! If you do not retreat, you'll be in grave trouble! I do not lie! You will regret it!" Luigi covered his ears again but didn't fall over this time. He was kind of used to being startled by Tutankoopa's voice.

To Luigi's left were miniature versions of the Stone Chomp statues, but they had three white shapes in the far left, center, and far right indents. From left to right were a diamond, a triangle, and a crescent.

"I hope Mario finds the crescent soon," Luigi said to himself before rejoining Dr. Kolorado and Bombette.

Meanwhile, after entering the bottom room, he saw a treasure chest that contained a dark blue crescent-shaped stone. Knowing that another Stone Chomp was gonna jump out at him, he destroyed it with his hammer after collecting the stone. It was done; all three stones were collected, ready to be placed in the Stone Chomp statues and allow the group to go further down the ruins.


	17. Vs Tutankoopa

**Chapter 17: Vs. Tutankoopa**

"I got the third shape, Luigi!" Mario exclaimed after rejoining the group.

"Brilliant! I can solve this puzzle now because I saw this diagram in that room above!" Luigi responded before taking the crescent-shaped stone. "Watch this."

Luigi proceeded to place the stones in the following order: the triangular stone in the far-left statue, the diamond stone in the center statue, and the crescent stone in the far-right. Just as the crescent stone was inserted, a loud rumble echoed throughout the hall and a staircase was lowered near the south wall.

"Whoever this Tutankoopa guy is has to be down there," Dr. Kolorado said, pointing down the shaft where the staircase was lowered. Mario went and swapped Bombette with Goombario before leading him, Luigi, and Dr. Kolorado downstairs. In the middle of the shaft was a Yellow Question Mark Block holding a Super Mushroom. Luigi collected the powerup before the group went through the doorway at the bottom.

In the next room, Tutankoopa's voice boomed again, "This is your last chance to turn back! Enough of this foolishness! Leave now!" This time, Luigi was not affected by the voice.

"We're already down here, Tutankoopa!" Mario said. "You can't stop us!" Prior to going through the next doorway, Mario spotted a Brick Block to his left that contained 10 Coins and took the Coins for himself. "Let's-a go, guys."

This would be the final room in the ruins Mario and friends would enter because everything was dark all around with absolute silence.

"Okay... This is one small thing I'm scared of..." Luigi muttered while looking around the dark room. "I kinda don't like the-"

"BLEAH HEH HEH HEH!" Tutankoopa's voice shouted. Since Tutankoopa's voice was louder than his earlier warnings, combined with the darkness, Luigi screamed with fright again and fell over before quickly getting back up.

A pharaoh's crown and small blue eyes appeared instantly at the same time Luigi screamed.

"WHOA!" Dr. Kolorado cried upon seeing the crown and eyes. Mario and Goombario flinched a small bit. The crown and eyes floated up at the same time the lights turned back on and moved above a platform attached to the wall in front. Small fragments then gathered around the crown and eyes before formulating Tutankoopa's body.

"You! You ignored all those very scary warnings!" Tutankoopa scolded the group. "Don't you have the common sense to get scared and run away? What in the blazing sands is wrong with you?!"

"I... I was...close...to running...away..." Luigi hesitated.

"Well, you should've left when I first warned you, coward!" Tutankoopa replied. "No one messes with me: Tutankoopa, a faithful follower of King Bowser! Prepare yourselves!"

Right on cue, Tutankoopa thrusted his arms up and summoned three Buzzy Beetle shells to his right.

"How do we attack him?" Mario asked Goombario quietly.

"I suggest deflecting those shells if he throws them at us. Try to also avoid his magic spells," Goombario answered.

"You think you can simply elude these shells I just made?" Tutankoopa taunted. "How about I bring out my pet to play with you too?"

Mario held his hammer like a baseball bat while Luigi took out his Super Mushroom, crushed it in his hand, and grew a foot taller while a white glow surrounded his body.

At the same time, Tutankoopa stomped his right foot, opening a grated door in front and releasing a Chain Chomp that stopped in front of the group.

"Come on, Chompy! Bite those intruders!" Tutankoopa ordered the Chain Chomp before he started throwing the shells.

The Chain Chomp thrusted itself toward Mario and Goombario; Mario ducked before Goombario leaped above him and was launched in the air. He then landed on one of the Buzzy Beetle shells Tutankoopa just threw in midair and headbonked Tutankoopa, causing him to fall back against the wall.

"Ruddy heck..." Dr. Kolorado uttered; he was surprised at the stunt Goombario and Mario just performed. Meanwhile, the Chain Chomp, having missed Mario and Goombario, bounced off the back wall and landed back at its starting position.

"All right! Time to show off my magic!" Tutankoopa declared before raising his arms up again. This time, the other two Buzzy Beetle shells turned giant and hurtled towards the group. Mario used his hammer and broke both shells with one swing, scattering the shards all over the place. The Chain Chomp ate some of the broken shell pieces following the destruction. Luckily, Tutankoopa was not injured.

"I can't believe you!" Tutankoopa roared. "I guess I'll just have Chompy here eat you for dinner! Bon appétit, Chompy!"

Luigi stepped forward and grabbed the Chain Chomp's chain as soon as it lunged forward. He then spun it around four times really fast due to his super strength and yelled in a deep voice, "Take this!"

"NO!" Tutankoopa yelled before the Chain Chomp was released and flew towards him with its mouth open. It then swallowed Tutankoopa whole, leaving no trace of him at all.

"Please don't eat us..." Luigi said with anxiety as his Super form wore off. The Chain Chomp leaped off the platform and barked twice before going back through the doorway in front; the grated door immediately closed shut.

"Thank God it's over," Goombario sighed with relief.

"Good job all around, guys," Mario said while high-fiving Dr. Kolorado and Luigi. "We're one step closer to getting the Star Rod back."

Suddenly, a glowing white orb rose from the floor, attracting the group's attention.

"Here comes another Star Spirit," Luigi said, knowing what's going to happen next. After four seconds, the orb blew up and imploded to reveal Mamar stuck in a playing card.

"I bet once you get that card, we're gonna be teleported to just outside the ruins," Goombario told Mario, who approached the card and grabbed it.

Then, a bright white light shined from the ceiling and everyone flew up with the card before fading away. Only five more Star Spirits are bound to be rescued.


	18. Star Spirit on the Loose

**Chapter 18: Star Spirit on the Loose**

The time is now 5:35 PM, more than three hours after Mario, Luigi, Dr. Kolorado, and Goombario rescued Mamar, the second of seven Star Spirits.

Up in Peach's castle, Peach had changed into a crimson-red dress as she had been wearing her typical pink dress for hours ever since the party was crashed by Bowser and his gang.

"It's really boring, just waiting around for new information about Mario and Luigi's progress," Peach told Twink.

"I know, Princess Peach. But just keep being patient," Twink replied. "Who knows? Maybe we can wait until Bowser's asleep and-"

Suddenly, Peach's bedroom door slammed open, causing Twink to fly quickly behind the bed. Bowser then marched into the bedroom and greeted Peach, "Bwahaha! Well, hello there, Princess Peach. I got to say your new outfit looks so lovely."

"Didn't I make myself clear this morning?" Peach asked. "I told you not to barge into my room!"

"Oh, don't be so angry, Princess Peach!" Bowser said. "How about putting a smile on your face for me?"

Peach turned her back and held her hand in front of Bowser's face. "Talk to the hand, Bowser! You aren't getting anything from me! You know why? Because you imprisoned all my party guests, and now you're coming off looking like the biggest dang disaster to ever befall the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"How about making everything the way it was before you showed up?" Peach requested.

"Gwahaha! Come on, Princess Peach! You know I can't do that!" Bowser answered. "By the way, those jerky Mario Bros. just beat the Koopa Bros. and Tutankoopa! Yes, they did fail me, but they're still loyal to me no matter what happens!"

"So what? I think it's a good thing!" Peach retorted before facing Bowser again. "You know Mario and Luigi will come for me soon!"

"Oh, no they won't!" Bowser argued. "I've got a bigger plan up my skin: to use the Invincible Tubba Blubba on them. He's basically the strongest and most powerful living thing I've known. Even though I'm still above him. You might as well give up hope and-"

"Your Nastiness! We have a problem!" Kammy ran inside Peach's bedroom to tell Bowser some bad news.

"Kammy, what's got you so riled up? You look upset," Bowser asked with concern before Kammy whispered into his ear.

"Wha- The Star Spirit flew away from Tubba Blubba's castle?! How could he?!" Bowser exclaimed with disbelief.

"Shut up, King Bowser!" Kammy said. "Princess Peach will hear you!"

"All right. Tell me the details over there." Bowser and Kammy finally exited Peach's bedroom and shut the door. Twink then came out of his hiding spot and approached Peach.

"Did you hear that, Twink?" Peach asked.

"Yes! I sure did! That Star Spirit must've escaped..." Twink took a couple seconds to think it over. "Did you hear him call that Tubba Blubba thing 'invincible'? That doesn't sound good! Do you think Mario and Luigi can win?"

"We'd better try to find out about Tubba Blubba," Peach said. "I know he has to have some sort of weak point, and that could save Mario and Luigi!"

"Great idea!"

"Okay... We won't get anything done if we stay in this room, so we have to get out of here again," Peach said before activating the secret exit out of Peach's bedroom and leading Twink into the office study before slowly cracking open the door. There were several Koopatrols walking around the second floor with flashlights to ensure there are no intruders out and about.

"Now what, Princess Peach?" Twink whispered.

"If any of those guards spot us, we're dead," Peach replied softly. "Let's walk along the wall." Peach exited the study and placed her back against the wall before slowly moving right to the closest door she can open. That door led into the library full of long bookshelves. Again, there were some Koopatrols walking down and up the library to find anything out of the ordinary.

It took a couple minutes for Peach and Twink to successfully avoid the Koopatrols and reach the very end of the library. In front of another bookshelf were a Hammer Bro. and a Koopatrol having a private conversation.

"Hey. Have you heard about Master Tubba Blubba? Rumor has it that he loves eating ghosts," the Hammer Bro. said.

"Oh. Ghosts, huh?" the Koopatrol replied. "I do know that Master Tubba Blubba lives somewhere in Forever Forest and he's probably guarding one of the Star Spirits right now."

"Yeah. But the problem is, where does he find the ghosts? That's something I'll never find out myself," the Hammer Bro. wondered. "But everyone knows Master Tubba Blubba is invincible. He can't be hurt, and nobody can even scratch him! What if he's stronger than King Bowser?"

"Don't say that, man!" the Koopatrol responded. "Even Master Tubba Blubba has to have some weak points. It's just common sense!"

"You know what? You might be right."

Having overheard the private talk, Peach turned to Twink and said quietly, "Twink, it sounds like Tubba Blubba has a weak point, after all.

"If only we could find out..." Twink added in.

Suddenly, the Hammer Bro. and Koopatrol managed to pick up Peach's whispering but didn't know who it was.

"Huh? Did you hear someone talking?" the Hammer Bro. asked.

"Oh no... Someone knows we were goofing off in here..." the Koopatrol murmured before both began to leave the library. Just as they turned the corner, they saw Princess Peach in front of them.

"Whoa! Princess Peach! How did you get in here?" the Hammer Bro. questioned.

"Um... I don't..." Peach hesitated.

"Don't even explain, miss. We're going to have to take you back to your room now," the Koopatrol scolded Peach.

"No! Put me down!" Peach cried as the Hammer Bro. and Koopatrol picked her up and took her back to her room. Again, Twink had hidden successfully from the two enemies and flew out of the castle to find Mario and Luigi and tell them the info he and Peach received.

* * *

"FUDGE! I GOT NO-" Jim yelled as he glanced at his cell phone before gazing around the dungeon. His phone wasn't picking up any service because of the thick concrete walls and ceilings.

"GAADARGGHH!" Jim shouted as he threw the phone on the floor and stomped it to pieces.

"Master Jim? What's wrong?" Toadsworth asked from the cell's bench.

"I busted my cell phone on purpose because there's no service in here!" Jim said with anger while approaching Toadsworth. "I can't call or text anyone, and worst of all, I had 10% juice left on that thing, so there's no use for it anyway!"

Jim looked up at the ceiling and muttered with clenched teeth, "Flippin' concrete ceilings..."

"Easy now, Master Jim. There's-" Toadsworth started before Jim interrupted him.

"ENOUGH CALLING ME YOUR MASTER! I MEAN IT!"

"Okay... I'll stop calling you that..." Toadsworth gave in. "Just lower your voice, please."

"I'm trying, but it's just... It..." Jim hesitated. "Oh my God..." He laid his head in his hands for a few seconds. "Is it too early for me to lose my sanity? Because I'm feeling it right now."

"I hope not. I hope you don't lose your mind," Toadsworth said. "Things can get out of hand if Master Mario and Master Luigi free us and you jump down their throats."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Toadsworth. I'm just flustered because I need to get back home before my first day of school," Jim sighed. He proceeded to walk back to the bars and gripped them tight. His anger slowly built up again.

"I swear, if you don't free me soon, Mario, I'm gonna go ape-crazy and die of high blood pressure! Where even are you?!" Jim yelled.

* * *

Rewinding back to 2:25 PM, Mario and friends reappeared through another white light and found themselves outside of Dry Dry Ruins. Mamar was hovering in front to greet them.

"Thank you, Mario and Luigi," Mamar thanked the Mario Bros. "At last, I can head home to the Star Road. My name is Mamar. So nice to see you two in person."

"Nice to meet you too," Mario returned the greeting.

"You've still got a long way to go, but I just know you can save Princess Peach! I'll do my best to help you! Here's a present for you." Mamar raised her arms up, causing Mario and Luigi to sparkle for a few seconds; they were given more magic from the Star Spirits. In addition, Mario's Star Power Band was refilled to the max with Star Energy, and the gold bar that represents the Star Energy reached as far as the second white button from the center of the band.

"Hey! My Star Energy went up by one!" Mario remarked.

"It did indeed. What I entrusted you and Luigi is the Star Power known as 'Lullaby'." Mamar explained. "You can call on me during a battle and I'll sing your enemies to sleep for a brief time, giving you the chance to take them down. It costs one unit of Star Energy. Remember to use 'Focus' if you need to."

"You must save the other Star Spirits as soon as possible!" Mamar continued. "For now, I'm going back to recover at the Star Road. Who knows how my dear old Star Road is faring without the Star Rod? Farewell, Mario and Luigi!" Mamar immediately rose up into the sky toward the Star Road.

"Well, my work here is done, old boys," Dr. Kolorado declared. "Let's go back to my camp and I'll send you on your way back home." In 15 minutes, the group arrived back at Dr. Kolorado's campsite.

"Thank you so much for helping me get the Ancient Artifact," Dr. Kolorado thanked Mario and Luigi. "I literally couldn't have done it without you two."

"You're welcome, Dr. Kolorado," Mario replied.

"When will we see you again?" Luigi asked.

"It might be by coincidence," Dr. Kolorado said. "If you're off to somewhere far away, maybe you'll find me wanting to find more treasure. And I sure hope you can help me again."

"All right-y. Buh-bye," Mario bid Dr. Kolorado goodbye. And so, Mario and friends began the 40-minute walk across the west side of Dry Dry Desert and Mt. Rugged back to the train station to head back to Toad Town. There was no train in sight upon arriving at the station.

"Where's the train?" Luigi asked. Mario looked at the sheet with the departure and arrival times taped to one of the gazebo's pillars.

"It says the next train leaves at 3:50 PM," Mario said. "We might have come way too early." Mario was right; it was 3:20 PM at this point. So, they had to wait for half an hour before the Toad Express approached the station and turned around for the ride home.

The trip back to Toad Town took an hour and 20 minutes, about ten minutes later than planned because of other trains on the track. It was 4:10 PM when Mario, Luigi, and Goombario exited the Toad Express and made their way up north.

"I need to change my clothes again," Mario sighed. "I might have gotten so much sand in my overalls."

"Me too, bro," Luigi agreed. "I actually didn't like the yellow shirt anyway and I want to put on something more relevant."

The group walked leisurely back to the Warp Pipe leading to Mario's Pad since they weren't in a rush to get all the Star Spirits. At 4:30 PM, the Mario Bros. and Goombario arrived at the pad, wanting to take a break before moving on with their quest. What will await them after they're ready to go again?


	19. I'm Too Scared, Mario!

**Chapter 19: I'm Too Scared, Mario!**

It's a quarter to 6, and the Mario Bros. are wrapping up an hour and fifteen break, which included having a huge dinner to replenish their energy. As promised by Mario, he and Luigi changed outfits once again for the sake of washing off the sand that accumulated during the trek through Dry Dry Desert.

Mario came out with his trademark outfit again while Luigi, on the other hand, was wearing a completely different outfit that resembled his Fire form, surprising Goombario.

"Wow. You look different, Luigi," Goombario remarked. "Did you use a rare Fire Flower or something?"

"Not really. I made this myself," Luigi said as he showcased the details of his clothing. "First off, my gloves are tan colored to make it look like I'm bare-handed, my green overalls are a bit darker than the Fire Flower version, and the 'L' logo on my cap is completely bronze, which is never the case of my other outfits."

Suddenly, a small smirk formed on Luigi's face. "Finally, the biggest difference... Um... This is gonna be really weird..." He slightly pulled up his right sleeve. "I spray tanned my skin before I got dressed!" Everyone laughed for a few seconds.

"It only lasts 24 hours, Goombario," Mario chimed in. "Once the spray tan wears off, Luigi will go back to wearing green and blue again."

"All right. You ready to resume rescuing the Star Spirits?" Goombario asked.

"We're ready! Let's-a go!" Luigi declared as he led Mario and Goombario to the Warp Pipe that took them to Toad Town and went eastward. By the time the group reached the intersection, whose north end goes to where Peach's castle was, Twink came in from behind and hovered in front of Luigi.

"Hello! It's good to see you again, Mario and Luigi!" Twink greeted the Mario Bros.

"Hi, Twink. Any new info of the Star Spirits?" Mario asked.

"Well, not too much, but it should be enough to help you," Twink started. "Just earlier, Bowser was told by his assistant Kammy that one of the Star Spirits escaped from this castle that belonged to a creature called 'Tubba Blubba'. And he is said to be more powerful than Bowser himself."

"What do you mean, 'More powerful'?" Luigi questioned.

"He's invincible, Luigi. It's impossible for anybody to hurt or damage him, but me and Princess Peach snuck into her library and some of Bowser's minions were talking about Tubba Blubba having a weak point, which we do not know what it is," Twink replied. "You're going to have to find out yourselves."

"Where did the Star Spirit fly to?" Mario asked.

"Tubba Blubba's castle is somewhere in this place called Forever Forest, and I think that maybe the Star Spirit is hiding somewhere in the forest. But again, I'm not so sure about where exactly. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Twink," Mario said. "We can do this."

"Great! I hope you manage to find the Star Spirit, Mario and Luigi. Princess Peach and I know you can save them all!" Twink said before flying back to Peach's castle.

"Looks like we're gonna have to ask for directions again," Luigi said. Before the group started to go back to the Information Center, Mario spotted a flower on a grassy yard between the post office and corner store. He led Luigi and Goombario to the flower, which uprooted itself, revealing that it was a Bub-ulb.

"Wow! Finally, there's someone I can talk to," the Bub-ulb said.

"Are you one of those Bub-ulbs?" Mario asked.

"Yes, I am. It's been a long while since I first came here from my home in Flower Fields, and you're the very first people to speak a word to me. Nobody ever notices me. The few people I actually see just think I'm blooming," the Bub-ulb explained.

"But we know you're not just blooming," Luigi added in.

"Thank you, sir!" the Bub-ulb thanked Luigi. "I love the generosity you've shown me! Here, take this as thanks!" The Bub-ulb spat out a red seed, which Mario picked up and stowed in his overalls pocket. "This is a precious Magical Seed. Keep it well and remember me."

"All right-y. See you soon," Mario bid the Bub-ulb goodbye as he started off with Luigi and Goombario to the Information Center but stopped after a few seconds to think things over.

"Hold on... I don't think we need Daniel's help."

"Why not?" Goombario asked.

"When we were walking to the train station earlier this morning, I eyeballed a sign that said, 'This Way to Forever Forest'. We should go south until we see the sign again," Mario explained. He then led Luigi and Goombario to where the Forever Forest sign was before looking to his left.

"Looks like that's the forest."

"Um... Mario?" Luigi said with concern while looking at the path toward Forever Forest.

"What's wrong, bro?"

"I... It..." Luigi hesitated. "You know what? Forget it."

"No. Tell me what's wrong," Mario said.

"Nothing's wrong, Mario. Let's-a go into that forest." Knowing that Luigi could get scared easily in the forest, Mario walked alongside Luigi as they began going down the path. As the group got closer to the actual forest, they passed under a couple trees with purple leaves.

Suddenly, Luigi eyeballed something from behind and screamed with terror before falling on his back.

"What happened, Luigi?" Mario asked.

"I just saw a ghost behind me!" Luigi cried.

"I don't see any ghosts." The ghost faded into view behind Mario.

"He's behind you!" Mario turned around, but the ghost disappeared. "I'm serious, Mario! I'm NOT crying wolf!"

"I know, bro. I'll eventually find him," Mario reassured Luigi. The ghost appeared behind the Mario Bros. again.

"He's right there!" Luigi yelled, having looked up at the ghost again. Again, it faded away by the time Mario turned around. Finally, the ghost appeared in front again and stayed in place before it spoke. The ghost was pale colored with white hair and mustache and was holding a handkerchief. Luigi shook uncontrollably and couldn't move a muscle.

"Pardon me, sir... Would you happen to be Mario?" the ghost asked.

"Yes. It's-a me," Mario answered. He and Goombario weren't fazed by the ghost at all.

"How do you do, sir? My master wishes to see you. If you would, please call on us at the mansion on the far side of Forever Forest," the ghost explained. "My master would also like me to add that she has in her possession important news regarding the Star Spirits."

"Please make haste! We shall await your arrival with a warm welcome. And if you don't come..." The ghost slowly disappeared, slightly relieving Luigi.

But the ghost reappeared in a bigger form and shouted, "WE WILL GET YOU! BAHAHAHA!" Luigi screamed louder than the ghost as it faded away and started to hurriedly crawl back the way the group came. Mario saw Luigi crawling and grabbed him by his overalls to stop him.

"LET ME GO!" Luigi cried, struggling to free himself.

"Luigi. Now's not the time to crawl away," Mario said. "We have no choice but to find that ghost's mansion."

"BUT I DON'T WANNA GO THERE!" Luigi began to tear up. "YOU KNOW I'M TERRIFIED OF GHOSTS!"

"You can't be scared of them forever, bro. I know you're terrified, but you have to try to face your fear," Mario said.

"He's right, Luigi," Goombario agreed. "It's the only way to get to the next Star Spirit."

Luigi slowly got up and grasped Mario's hand. "O-okay... I-I'll tr-try..." Luigi trembled.

"I'll make you sure don't go off on your own, bro," Mario reassured Luigi. The group then walked into Forever Forest, which was completely dark because the sun had set five minutes ago.

"Can you see well, Mario?" Goombario asked as he looked around the forest.

"Not really. I didn't bring a flashlight, but we'll make the most of it," Mario replied. By now, Luigi was shaking a little more than when they encountered the ghost.

"I-I'm t-too...sc-scared...M-M-Mario..." Luigi murmured.

"I know, Luigi..."

Mario decided to go straight ahead as he believed walking aimlessly would not let the group make any progress. After a minute and a half, they came across a Toad with a black jacket. Luigi jumped a small bit upon seeing the Toad but didn't overreact.

"Hmm... What do you think you're doing?" the Toad asked. "This is Forever Forest... It's extremely dangerous here. Didn't you know that? You'd better go back." The Toad's warning prompted Luigi to back up slowly, but Mario managed to stop him.

"We can't go back. We were told to go to this ghostly mansion within the forest," Mario requested.

"Is that so? All right, then," The Toad said. "If you want to get through this forest, you have to pay really close attention to your surroundings. The areas near the path's forks will look slightly different from the others. Watch carefully for clues."

"For example, there will be about four flower patches, one of which is a different type than the others," the Toad continued. "These clues will be different in other parts of the forest. Watch the inner forest very, very carefully as you go."

"Thank you so much," Mario thanked the Toad.

"Go straight ahead, please. I hope you make it to the mansion." Without hesitation, the group kept going straight, but walked slowly because of Luigi having trouble walking due to him shaking so much.

Two minutes later, the group came across the four flower patches the Toad mentioned earlier. In front of the patches were four paths, one of which was one of the right ways to the mansion. They all looked the same, which confused Mario.

Just as they passed in front of the one second from the right, the bush rustled loudly, and the flowers cackled in a high-pitched voice. Luigi shrieked upon hearing the rustling and almost fell over on the correct path, but Mario pulled him back up.

"I d-don't...kn-know if...I-I'll m-make...it..." Luigi moaned.

"Yes, you will, Luigi," Mario said. "Hang in there."

Over the next fifteen minutes, the group went through five more puzzled areas; each had different correct paths: a hollow tree trunk with red eyes, blue flowers that made chirping noises as opposed to the cackling flowers, a tall tree with a laughing red face, a blue patch of mushrooms as opposed to three purple mushroom patches; and similar to the first area, the rustling bush and cackling flowers.

During the whole walk, Luigi covered his eyes so as to not accidentally scream while passing the flowers and trees. Mario held Luigi's hand, which calmed him down a small bit. In the final area that the last cackling flower bush led the group into, there was a sign on the right side that said, "This Way to Boo's Mansion". In addition, there were no scary noises except for chirping crickets.

"You feeling better, bro?" Mario asked Luigi.

"N-no... I-I'm s-still sc-scared..." Luigi muttered as he uncovered his eyes. "I-I'm sh-shaking..."

"I can tell." Mario felt Luigi trembling, which persisted during the trek through the forest.

"We're getting close to the mansion, Luigi," Mario said. "Stay with me during our time in there, okay? You're gonna be fine."

"O-okay..." Mario proceeded to lead Luigi and Goombario toward the mansion, which was dead ahead.


	20. Lady Bow's Mansion

**Chapter 20: Lady Bow's Mansion**

By the time Mario and friends approached the vicinity of Boo's Mansion, it was 6:25 PM. The mansion was enclosed within a dark red fence, which meant that the group had to find and open the gate to get in the mansion.

Even though Luigi had calmed down a little following the Forever Forest puzzles, he was still shaking and his breathing shallowed, but not too much.

"W-where's the...g-gate...Mario...?" Luigi asked in a shaky voice.

"It should be on the front of the fence," Mario replied as he began inspecting the fence. It only took about five seconds to find the gate, which was nearly blended in.

Just when Mario was about to reach for the gate's latch, the gate slammed open, scaring Luigi again.

Luigi gazed at the mansion's exterior, which was lit up due to the lights inside, and harked back to when he, Mario, Yoshi, and Jim went through the Donut Ghost House ten years ago. His flashback caused Luigi's vision to block out the lit-up windows.

"No..." Luigi murmured. "I-I'm...n-not going...i-in th-there... I c-can't d-do it..."

"Luigi, you just said you were ready," Mario reminded Luigi.

"I n-never...s-said th-that..."

"Okay. Are you absolutely sure you're ready to go in?" Mario asked.

"Y-yes... I-I'll go i-in..."

"Good. Remember what Jim told you back then. The ghosts are not gonna hurt you. Pretend there's no one in there but me and Goombario."

Mario held Luigi's hand again and the group approached the mansion's front door before walking inside.

"I'm not surprised the door was unlocked," Goombario remarked. "Maybe they're cool with all kinds of guests."

Again, Luigi covered his eyes to not look at the Boos floating all around. In front were two doors; the left one was concealed by a bookcase. The group then approached the right-side door.

"Luigi, there aren't any ghosts in front of us. You can open your eyes," Mario said, seeing that the Boos were roaming in the middle of the foyer next to the staircase and a green sofa. Luigi uncovered his eyes and focused on the door.

"W-what's i-in there...?" Luigi questioned.

"Let's find out," Goombario answered. Just as Mario reached for the doorknob, a giant Boo apparition popped out from the door, causing Luigi to scream really loud and fall on his back. Mario immediately helped Luigi back up.

"W-why th-that...?!" Luigi panted. His forehead was sweating a bit.

"It's okay. I didn't expect it either," Mario reassured Luigi as they went inside the room with Goombario. There was nothing in there but a rainbow-colored urn and two Yellow Exclamation Point Blocks.

"Look at that, bro. There might be something in those blocks that can cheer you up," Mario pointed out as he and Luigi went under both blocks. They hit the blocks from underneath, revealing a Super Leaf and a Repel Gel tube, respectively. Mario took the Super Leaf and stowed it in his overalls pocket.

"W-what's this...tube...?" Luigi asked as he took the Repel Gel.

Mario examined the text on the tube that said, "Rub a quarter-sized amount on both arms to become invisible for 3 minutes".

"This can be useful if there's a strong enemy that can really hurt you," Mario instructed Luigi. "Don't use it now; only if necessary."

After exiting the room, the group went upstairs and saw two doors in front. Luigi closed his eyes again while going upstairs.

"Let's try the right door again," Goombario said. Inside the right-side room was nothing but an empty bed, a rocking chair, and a wooden cabinet on the left side.

"See? It's not that bad so far, bro." Luigi opened his eyes again and saw the cabinet, wondering what was in there. "Have at it, Luigi."

Luigi slowly approached the cabinet because he was still shaking. He then quickly opened the cabinet because if he did so slowly, he would have backed out by the time it was halfway open. For a couple seconds, it appeared that the cabinet was empty, relieving Luigi.

Suddenly, a group of Boos flew out of the cabinet circled around the middle of the room. The second the Boos flew out of the cabinet, Luigi screamed again and cowered in the left corner of the cabinet.

"Marioooooo... You have come..." one of the Boos drawled after floating in the center of the circling Boos. It held up a green and black vinyl. "If you want this vinyl, you must guess who holds it."

The Boo turned to the other ones and instructed them, "Lady Bow will be very angry if we let him get it too easily, fellow Boos! Do your best, like we practiced!" The Boo then threw the vinyl to one of the circling Boos and relayed to three others before it was hidden completely.

Because Luigi was too scared to participate in this challenge, Mario opted to determine which Boo had the vinyl and took out his hammer. It took ten seconds for him to see the vinyl barely visible in one of the Boos and quickly hammered it to release the vinyl.

"You did it, Mario!" Goombario exclaimed as Mario picked up the vinyl. "Well done!"

Meanwhile, the Boos were angry that Mario won the challenge. "Noooo! Boo hoo! You...You guessed right. Now Lady Bow's really going to flip out on us..." The Boos then made scary faces and screamed before fading away. By now, Luigi was breathing shallowly, and his face was nearly covered in sweat. He took off his cap to fan himself.

Mario saw Luigi cowering and helped him up before noticing the sweat. "Mamma mia. You don't look good."

"I...kn-know..." Luigi murmured before eyeballing the vinyl. "W-what's...th-that f-for...?"

"I'm not sure, but we'll find a way to use it," Mario replied as the group left the room and went through the left-side door. There was another Boo in front of a small treasure chest and a gramophone was situated on the left side of the room. Luigi immediately ran next to the gramophone and backed against the wall before looking to his right.

Mario approached the Boo guarding the chest and asked, "Can you move out of the way?"

"Sorry, but that treasure is mine," the Boo responded. Mario then walked away and looked at the vinyl before noticing the gramophone. He figured if he played the vinyl, the music would attract the Boo's attention, giving him the chance to take the treasure.

"This should be easy..." Mario said to himself before placing the vinyl on the gramophone. He then wound the handle before setting the needle on the vinyl. The music that played was the "Ghost House" theme from _Super Mario World_. Upon hearing the music, Luigi experienced the Donut Ghost House flashback again, visualizing himself being scared from the Boos behind his back and threw himself towards the floor before covering his ears.

"Turn i-it...o-off..." Luigi moaned. "P-please..."

It took five seconds before the Boo floated to where the gramophone was and started dancing by spinning around; the Boo didn't hear the music initially because it was preoccupied with the chest.

"Goombario, turn off the gramophone after I take the treasure." Mario whispered to Goombario, who nodded in agreement. Mario then hurried over to the treasure chest and opened it to reveal a gray weight in the shape of a small vase. Hearing Mario open the chest, Goombario shut off the gramophone.

"Oh noooo..." the Boo murmured looking at the gramophone and Mario holding the weight. "Lady Bow gave me one job...to guard that treasure chest. She is gonna punish me so bad if she finds out about this!" The Boo made a scary face and screamed before fading away.

By the time Luigi stood up, he clutched his stomach, feeling nauseous. Mario saw Luigi hunched over slightly and asked, "Are you okay?"

"N-no..." Luigi answered. "I...m-might th-throw up..."

"We're almost done, Luigi. I wouldn't puke right now," Mario said. After entering the foyer again, Mario thought about the bookcase and looked at the chandelier. He was determined to jump onto the chandelier and weigh it down, which should move the bookcase out of the way.

Without hesitation, Mario executed his plan and dropped down to the floor before seeing the left-side door being revealed. Goombario and Luigi took the stairs back to the foyer and went with Mario through the left-side door, which took them to the basement.

Inside the basement were a bunch of mirrors and wooden tables and chairs lined up against the north wall. There was also a big crack on the east wall. Mario proceeded to swap Goombario with Bombette and had her blow up the crack before releasing Goombario again.

"Come on, Luigi," Mario said, beckoning Luigi to go with him and Goombario into the next room. There were several wooden boxes and a small treasure chest scattered around the room. Mario didn't hesitate to open the treasure chest, which had nothing in it.

"Where is the-" Mario started to ask himself before another group of Boos flew out of the chest and circled around the center of the room.

"No...!" Luigi cried before running back against the south wall and closing his eyes again.

One of the Boos floated to the center of the circling Boos and said, "Marioooo... Welcooooome... If you want the Boo's Portrait, you must guess who holds it." The Boos held up the Boo's Portrait and announced to the other Boos, "Lady Bow will be very angry if we let him get it too easily, fellow Boos! Do your best, like we practiced!" The Boo then threw the portrait to one of the circling Boos and relayed to three others before it was hidden completely.

Mario turned to Luigi and said, "It's your turn to see which Boo has that picture."

"I-I d-don't w-wanna...d-do it..." Luigi muttered. But Mario handed Luigi his hammer before leading him toward the circling Boos; Luigi still had his eyes closed and was holding his stomach with his left hand.

"Like I said, you have to face your worst fear. Just open your eyes for a brief second and swing that hammer. Who knows? Maybe you'll get it on the first try."

"O-Okay..." Luigi kept his eyes closed for another five seconds and quickly opened them before dashing through the Boos. He screamed while running and held the hammer out in front; the hammer hit one of the Boos on the other side of the circle, releasing the portrait. Luigi couldn't stop running and crashed into the wall before falling over.

Mario picked up the portrait before the Boos stopped circling. "Noooo! Boo hoo! You...You guessed right. Now Lady Bow's really going to flip out on us..." The Boos then made scary faces and screamed before fading away. At the same time the Boos screamed, Luigi suddenly turned to his left and vomited all over the floor. Mario rushed up to Luigi and set his hand on Luigi's back.

"Oh God... This might be worse than the Donut Ghost House for Luigi..." Mario said to himself. He quickly grabbed the hammer so that the vomit wouldn't coat it.

"What's wrong with Luigi?" Goombario asked.

"He got scared too much," Mario replied. "Apparently, this is what happens. I don't know why, though." It took about three minutes before Luigi stopped vomiting.

"It...hurts so...bad..." Luigi groaned as he held his stomach again. He was feeling stomach pains now that everything in him was gone. Mario figured that Luigi needed water, so he checked the boxes and found one of them had several water bottles within a layer of ice cubes.

He took two bottles and handed one to Luigi, who immediately drank all of it in one go.

"It's...not enough..." Luigi said while holding his head. "I...feel lightheaded..."

"Do you want the other water?" Mario asked.

"No... I-I'm f-fine..." Luigi lied.

"All right-y," Mario gave in as he led Luigi and Goombario back into the foyer. They then went upstairs and searched the rest of the floor before seeing an empty picture frame on the far end.

Mario thought that the Boo's Portrait could be placed in the frame and did so before the picture spoke, "Phew... Ah, that feels better! It's nice to be back inside my frame after so long!"

"No problem," Mario replied.

"All right, then. I'll help you go to the third floor, okay? Jump toward the drawing and I'll take care of the rest." Mario held Luigi's hand before the group leaped into the painting and found themselves on the third floor, which did not have a railing. By now, Luigi was feeling so weak that he found it hard to stand up straight.

"Oh no... I'm so sorry, Luigi..." Mario said with sympathy. He saw two doors again and entered the right-side one while beckoning Goombario to go with him and Luigi inside. The floor had blue carpeting all around and there were two chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Suddenly, a female voice called out, "Gwah hee haha! You've finally arrived! You took your sweet time, huh?"

Even though he didn't see anything, Mario answered, "We took up too much time. Sorry."

"Well, I was testing you to see if you live up to your reputation. How were the tests? Tough?"

"Pretty simple."

A few seconds later, a green female Boo and the pale Boo with the white hair and mustache appeared in the middle of the room. Mario and Goombario stepped forward a few steps while Luigi stayed in place and was breathing rapidly with sweat dripping from his face.

"My name is Lady Bow, but you can call me Bow," Bow introduced herself. "I'm glad to finally meet you."

"Thank you," Mario thanked Bow.

Bow noticed Luigi behind Mario. "That must be your brother, right?"

"Yes, this is Luigi. I'm so sorry you're seeing him hunched over. He's deathly terrified of ghosts like you." Mario pointed to Luigi.

"Don't apologize. I understand," Bow answered. "This is Bootler, my butler and my humble servant. The reason why I asked you here is that I need a favor. Bootler, give them the rundown."

"Of course, my lady," Bootler said before turning to Mario. "Mario and Luigi, first off, just beyond the mansion is this area called Gusty Gulch. A hill rises at the top of the gulch, and upon it sits the castle of Tubba Blubba. He's a monstrous creature...who eats...us! Ghosts!"

"Boos are his favorite food. Many friends have been eaten! We've tried attacking the evil fiend to save our friends, but Tubba Blubba is far too strong for us Boos to slow him down even slightly. He seems invincible. That's why he's known as the Invincible Tubba Blubba," Bootler explained. "There is hope, however. If the rumors are true, then Tubba Blubba has a secret that he closely guards. And that secret is...probably something that relates to his weak point."

"So, Mario and Luigi, I want you to find out his secret and defeat him," Bow said. "Of course, you'll get a reward for doing us this service. If you beat Tubba Blubba up, I'll let you have this." A cage lowered from the ceiling; inside of it was the third Star Spirit, Skolar.

"Mmmmm... Mario and Luigi. I'm sorry we must meet in such a dire situation. My name is Skolar. I escaped from Tubba Blubba's castle, but...I was in quite a weakened state when I made it outside. As a result, I couldn't go back to the sky at first," Skolar said.

"I tried to head for Star Hill to make the leap to the Star Road, but I became lost in the forest. While hunting for a way out, I was captured by Boos. And now here I am... I don't know what to say..." Skolar's cage raised back up toward the ceiling.

"What do you think, guys? Not such a bad deal, is it? You would have had to fight Tubba Blubba to save this Star Spirit anyway, right?" Bow asked. "This way, you help us Boos too. Besides, I'm going with you. I'll help you like no one else can."

Bootler became shocked and turned to Bow. "My lady?! What did you just say now? You? At Tubba Blubba's castle? Quite out of the question! I simply cannot allow you to put yourself in such danger!"

"Shut it, Bootler!" Bow retorted. "I've seen too much suffering caused by Tubba Blubba! I wish to see him punished with my own two eyes. Besides, Mario and his brother will need me. There's no way they can reach the castle without my powers!"

"Oh... Alas... Then, Lady, I shall accompany you," Bootler requested. "It is my sworn duty to see that no harm befalls you. The ancestors demand it! I will be at your side always."

"Just... Just stop that nonsense, okay?" Bow grouched. "I'm not a child anymore. I'll be fine by myself. You wait here for my return, okay?"

"All right..." Bootler replied with disappointment.

At the same time Bow argued with Bootler, Luigi kept murmuring to himself while holding his head, "I'm gonna die... I'm gonna die... I'm dying... I'm dying..." He felt his hands tingling and quickly took his gloves off before dropping them. He then grabbed his chest with his right hand as it was aching so bad. He was also breathing way too fast and sweating more and more. Basically, Luigi was suffering from a panic attack.

"Is this all right, Mario?" Bow asked Mario. "I'll join up with you and Luigi until we oust Tubba Blubba."

"You're in, Bow. Welcome to the team," Mario answered before sending Goombario into his Partner Collection Band.

"Okay, then! Tubba Blubba's going down! Gwaah ha haaa!" Bow cackled. Mario turned to Luigi, who was about to collapse on the ground.

"Oh my God! Luigi!" Mario yelled as he caught Luigi after he passed out.

"What happened?" Bow asked with concern.

"Luigi just had a panic attack from his fear, and he's passed out!" Mario cried. He was tearing up a bit. "We got to get him out of here now!" Mario picked up Luigi's gloves, hung Luigi over his right shoulder, and jumped off the third floor toward the foyer before rushing out the front door.

After exiting the mansion, Mario checked Luigi's pulse and was relieved that he felt his blood vessels pumping, but still felt sorry for his condition.

"Bow, I'm REALLY sorry you had to see that! SO sorry!" Mario wept.

"It's all good. Just lay him down for now," Bow replied. Mario hurried Luigi next to the fence and laid him on his back. Luigi was breathing, but he was still unconscious. Mario took out the second water bottle and kneeled next to Luigi.

"Poor Luigi...!" Mario murmured as he took Luigi's cap off his head. At this time, it was 6:45 PM. It took five minutes before Luigi slowly woke up.

"Ugh... Wha..." Luigi groaned as he opened his eyes.

"Luigi? Are you okay?" Mario asked.

"Who... Who is...it...?" Luigi said in a weak voice.

"It's-a me, bro."

"Mario..." Luigi lifted his head up and looked around. "Where...am I...?"

"You're back outside. We did everything we needed to in the mansion," Mario explained.

"What...happened...?" Luigi asked.

"You had a panic attack when Bow joined our team. I didn't think you'd suffer from one." Mario took off one of his gloves and felt Luigi's forehead. It was warm and sweaty, but not too hot.

"Who's...Bow...?"

"Bow's the mansion owner. She understands your condition," Mario replied. He took the water bottle and handed it to Luigi. "Drink this."

Luigi tried drinking from the bottle but spat out the water.

"No! Luigi! Don't spit it! You need to hydrate yourself!" Mario ordered. He held the bottle up to Luigi's mouth and helped him drink up. "You literally emptied your whole system and you need to fill it up again."

"Okay..." Luigi moaned before laying his head down again. "I'm...tired..."

"I know you are," Mario responded. "I'll tell you what. It's getting late anyway. You should get some sleep."

"Okay..."

"Do you want me to sleep with you?" Mario offered.

"Yes..." Just as Luigi began to doze off, Mario took his cap off and laid next to Luigi.

"Please, God. Please take care of Luigi," Mario prayed silently. "He needs to feel better."

Meanwhile, Bow hovered next to the front gate and gazed at the Mario Bros.

"I hope Luigi gets well by tomorrow morning," Bow said to herself. "We got to get going first thing in the morning."


	21. Gusty Gulch

**Chapter 21: Gusty Gulch**

"Hey. Wake up, Luigi."

Luigi slowly opened his eyes to see Mario kneeling in front of him again. It's 6:45 AM on August 13, 2000, about fifteen minutes before sunrise.

"Mario...? How... How long have..." Luigi struggled to ask but couldn't finish because he was still tired.

"We've been asleep since 7 last night. I asked Bow after I woke up," Mario replied. Luigi slowly lifted himself up and sat against the fence.

"Is Bow..."

"Yes. She is one of the ghosts as well as the mansion owner like I told you last night. But don't freak out, okay?" Mario said. "She's a really nice ghost. She won't hurt you or try to scare you."

Luigi let out a sigh and put his cap and gloves back on. "I'm sorry I went through hell last night, bro."

"Don't worry about it, Luigi," Mario replied as he hugged Luigi. "Everyone knows your biggest fear. And I got to say you did good in trying to conquer it even though it didn't work."

"Yeah... It sure didn't..."

"How are you feeling?" Mario asked.

"My head doesn't hurt anymore, but my stomach's growling," Luigi answered.

"Well, good news is we've got breakfast coming. Follow me," Mario said before leading Luigi to a picnic table near the west side of the mansion. The drinks were already served ahead of time: orange juice and coffee for both Mario and Luigi.

"Might as well get some caffeine for today," Luigi said to himself. After five minutes, two random Boos came out with Mario and Luigi's breakfasts: a small steak with scrambled eggs for Luigi, and two pancakes with maple-infused bacon for Mario.

Luigi's heart pounded fast when he saw the Boos serving him the food, but he didn't overreact this time because the panic attack may have temporarily subdued his ghost phobia.

"Thank you so much," Mario thanked the Boos before they went back inside the mansion. After the Mario Bros. wrapped up their meals, they headed east to the gate leading to Gusty Gulch; Bow had been waiting there for the last few minutes.

"So, Mario and Luigi, the sun is rising now, which means we should start off to Tubba Blubba's castle," Bow stated. "You're not scared, are you?"

"I'm not," Mario replied.

"Just a little bit," Luigi added in. "I still feel uncomfortable around the ghosts, but I'm kinda okay."

"Well, you don't have to interact with any of the Boos here," Bow said to Luigi. "Me and Mario will speak for you."

Without hesitation, Bow and the Mario Bros. went east down Gusty Gulch. It was ironic that the gulch got its name because there were average-sized gusts of wind that blew in the group's faces. Not too far ahead from the gate was a giant windmill that provided electricity for the Boos' village next to it.

The village was a relatively small one, given that there were about ten buildings and eight tan colored Boos that lived within.

One of the Boos noticed Bow and came up to her. "Oh! Lady Bow! What a surprise, seeing you! You know, Your Ladyship, you really shouldn't come around here. It's dangerous. Tubba Blubba could come here at any time!"

"I know! And that's why me and the Mario Bros. are gonna teach that Tubba Blubba a lesson!" Bow declared.

"When was the last time Tubba Blubba came through here?" Mario asked.

"Why, just yesterday. It was so horrible..." the Boo explained. "He... Um... He ate Herbert. Oh, it was gruesome! Poor Herbert! He was so dark and depressing! What a terrific Boo!"

"Oh no! Herbert was one of my best friends!" Bow said with sympathy. "Now Tubba Blubba's REALLY gonna pay more than I was planning him to earlier... Just tell everyone not to worry, okay? We'll make sure that that Boo-meal will be his last."

"Oh! Lady! Your bravery is inspiring!" the Boo exclaimed. "But you know he's called the Invincible Tubba Blubba... Please be careful out there."

As the group entered the second half of the village, Luigi laid his hand on his heart, which continued to beat fast.

"You all right, bro?" Mario asked.

"I just told you I was. Just let me breathe," Luigi responded with irritation.

Another Boo by the name of Stanley noticed Bow and floated toward her. "Hello there, Lady! You're going up to beat Tubba Blubba, right?"

"For revenge. Yes," Bow replied.

"Good for you! Make sure he never eats another ghost! Especially not-" Suddenly, the ground began to shake, causing the Boos to fade away briefly. But Stanley couldn't get himself to fade.

"Oh no! Tubba Blubba's coming! You got to hide now! I'll go face him!" Stanley cried.

"No! Don't do it, Stanley!" Boo yelled as Stanley turned to Tubba Blubba, who marched toward the village. He has not spotted the Mario Bros. and Bow yet.

"What do we do?!" Mario asked in a frantic tone of voice.

"I'll help you hide!" Bow replied. "Luigi, run behind one of those buildings!"

But Luigi didn't run; he took out his Repel Gel and applied it to his arms before turning invisible within two seconds. At the same time, Bow touched Mario's head, turning him invisible too.

"Come and get me, Tubba Blubba!" Stanley called out while Tubba Blubba walked up to him. "You can't eat me!"

"But I need my snack!" Tubba Blubba responded. "You hold still!" Before Stanley can make his next move, Tubba Blubba grabbed him and swallowed him whole.

"Mmmm... A little tangy, but good." Tubba Blubba proceeded to march back to his castle. As soon as the ground stopped shaking, all the Boos reappeared, and Mario became visible again. However, Luigi was still under the effect of the Repel Gel, which wears off after three minutes.

"Oh! Stanley! Oh, the horror of it all..." one of the Boos uttered.

"That does it!" Bow yelled with anger. "No more eating Boos! Let's go, guys!"

The Mario Bros. and Bow set off down Gusty Gulch again, which was inhabited by Hyper Goombas and Hyper Clefts. Those enemies had a green tint in their skin and had the ability to charge themselves up and deal more damage to their opponents.

Since Mario's hammer was too weak to take down the stronger Clefts, he relied on Bow to avoid them attacking him. Luckily for Luigi, he had no problem passing through the Clefts while invisible.

As Mario and friends neared Tubba Blubba's castle, they kept asking themselves, "What could Tubba Blubba's weak point be?" "Where do we find his secret?" The answers might lie within the castle itself.


	22. Tubba Blubba's Castle

**Chapter 22: Tubba Blubba's Castle**

"What if this castle has ghosts in it...?" Luigi wondered out loud as the group reached the front door. By now, Luigi had become visible again as the Repel Gel wore off.

"Luigi, for the third time, I'm absolutely sure that there aren't any ghosts in there. Tubba Blubba may have eaten every single one of them who tried to go inside," Mario replied. "Please don't be paranoid."

"I'm trying..."

Without hesitation, Mario pushed open the castle door and beckoned Luigi and Bow to walk in. The foyer was completely void of any furniture except for two walkways on the second and third floors. In addition, there were multiple Sentinels that floated within the foyer to catch any intruders and kick them out of the castle.

"Why don't you save that gel for later, Luigi?" Bow whispered, wanting to not let the Sentinels hear them; their backs were turned for the time being. "Reach your hand towards me if they see us."

"Uh, not to be disrespectful, but I'm not laying a finger on a ghost," Luigi replied.

"Suit yourself."

The group looked at both doors and quickly decided to go through the left-side one first. The walls and ceiling of the hallway looked dilapidated with various cracks all over the place.

"Is there some way to have the Repel Gel last a bit shorter?" Luigi asked Mario quietly.

"I think if you put it on just one arm, you'll be invisible for a minute and a half," Mario responded. "Just a little theory."

At both ends of the hall were two doors; obviously, Mario and friends went into the right-side room first. All that was inside were two giant white clothed tables. Not to mention that there were cobwebs on every wall corner.

"I wonder if Tubba Blubba's weak point has to do with laziness," Mario said. "Maybe if he was forced to clean everything up and be busy nonstop, he would get so angry and use up his invincibility within seconds."

"That's possible," Luigi agreed. "But at the same time, it doesn't make sense to me."

The group went back into the hall and slowly made their way to the other door, where two green Clubbas paced back and forth. Bow and Mario made themselves invisible while Luigi jumped behind one of the Clubbas, grabbed its mace, and batted both down the hall before tossing the mace at them.

With the Clubbas out of the way, the group went the left-side door, which led to an office study with a book on the big desk. Mario hopped onto the desk and looked through the book, which didn't have any writing on all the pages.

"Drat. I could've sworn it was Tubba Blubba's diary," Mario murmured as he hopped back on the ground. Back in the long hall, Mario and friends went through the next big door into the dining room. There weren't any chairs surrounding the table, but two Clubbas patrolled the room.

Luigi applied the Repel Gel to his right arm and used the 90-second time limit to deal with the Clubbas before rejoining Mario and Bow. On the west end of the dining room was a grandfather clock; it was chiming to indicate it was 7:30 AM.

"You know there's a secret if you see a clock or a bookcase," Mario remarked before pushing the clock to the right, revealing a hole half the size of a regular door. The room the clock concealed was completely dark except for the dining room's lights shining in.

The group was able to find a single treasure chest at the top-left wall corner; inside was a green key that was shaped like a four-leaf clover.

"I'm glad there aren't any traps in this castle," Luigi said.

"Don't jinx it, Luigi. You never know what'll pop out at us," Bow responded.

Since there was nothing else in the west hall, the group made their way back to the foyer; again, they barely managed to avoid the Sentinels because Luigi almost forgot to use his Repel Gel. After unlocking the right-side door, the group went into the east hall, which was completely empty. But there were some Clubbas walking up and down the hall.

Mario and friends had no problem with taking care of the Clubbas before going upstairs to the next floor. There were two Sentinels floating near the door to the first walkway, and as there was no way to defeat them, the group had to run quick through the door to not get thrown out of the castle. In the second floor's west hallway was a trail of Coins leading to a door in the middle of the hall.

"Don't do it, Mario..." Luigi whispered while eyeballing the Coins.

"But what if there's something in that room?" Mario asked.

"I know, but I wouldn't fall for it."

Mario ignored Luigi's warning and went to collect the Coins before approaching the door. Just as Mario got the last Coin, the door was blown open and knocked him over.

"What did I tell you, Mario?!" Luigi exclaimed while Mario stood back up. "Don't even apologize for ignoring me!"

"But you know I'm-" Mario started before Luigi interrupted.

"Shut the freak up!" Luigi retorted. "When are you gonna listen to me?"

"Eventually."

"Enough fighting, guys," Bow butted in. "Let's just move on."

The next room the group entered was an abandoned bedroom with the addition of the trap that busted down the door: a red boxing glove on a spring. Apparently, the trap was motion-activated and went off as soon as Mario was within inches of the knob.

Mario and Luigi searched through the two dressers on the right side, only to find shrunken clothes and dirty socks.

"Bro, why are we even rummaging through dirty clothes?" Luigi questioned with irritation.

"I thought there would be a hidden note in one of the drawers," Mario replied. "Why are you so ticked off?"

"I don't know. I may have gotten up on the wrong side of the ground." Having found nothing again, the group proceeded down the west hall again and entered a staircase room leading to the third floor. At the top of the stairs was a Yellow Question Mark Block containing another green clover-shaped key.

"Who leaves keys out in the open when he doesn't want any intruders in the castle?" Luigi asked.

"It's Tubba Blubba's laziness," Mario answered. "Maybe we need one more clue to confirm it unless we find a completely different secret on this floor."

The next hallway had more Clubbas than the other rooms downstairs; about eight were seen walking up and down.

"You think we can take out those guards in a minute and a half?" Luigi asked Mario quietly.

"If we're fast enough, yes," Mario responded.

Without further ado, Luigi applied the Repel Gel to his left arm before running with Mario and Bow toward the Clubbas. Because the Clubbas had trouble hitting the group with their maces due to them being invisible for the most part, they accidentally hit each other and defeated themselves easily.

"That was a clever idea," Bow said. "Imagine doing that to Tubba Blubba and watching him fall over every time he attacks us." The group laughed for a few seconds before moving on.

On the other side of the third-floor hallway was another locked door, which Mario unlocked before he led Luigi and Bow into the final room. It turned out to be another bedroom, but it was longer in size and included a round white clothed table and a wooden cabinet behind the bed.

"There better be an actual secret in here," Luigi said. "If we don't find-"

Suddenly, a series of loud thumps interrupted Luigi, causing the group to freeze in place.

"That must be Tubba Blubba!" Bow exclaimed before heading toward the cabinet. "Over here!"

Mario and Luigi barely made it behind the bed before Tubba Blubba marched into the bedroom.

"Hmmm, I might be in trouble," Tubba Blubba said to himself. "That Star Spirit ran away...and now I think someone suspicious is in the castle... I sure don't want to make King Bowser mad. After all, he's a scary-looking Koopa." Tubba Blubba walked over to his bed before climbing into it.

"He did make me invincible, but if I screw up, he might change me back to normal," Tubba Blubba sighed. "Oh well. Time for some beauty rest." He laid on his bed and began to fall asleep.

"Don't speak louder than a whisper," Bow instructed the Mario Bros. "Tubba Blubba will kill us if we accidentally wake him."

Luigi went to the cabinet and slowly opened it to reveal a single treasure chest. He set it on the ground before opening it. Inside was a yellow key that hopped up and down. Luigi grabbed the key and held it in front of his face.

"Who are you?" Luigi asked.

"Hi there... I'm Yakkey, a faithful and chatty follower of Master Tubba Blubba. My very important job is to guard his valuables," Yakkey introduced himself.

"How can you guard Tubba Blubba's stuff when you're the size of his foot?"

"That doesn't matter," Yakkey replied before stopping to think it over. "Wait a minute... You three don't look like you work with Master Tubba Blubba..."

"Yeah. So what?" Mario questioned.

"That means you've come here to steal me: the magical key that unlocks the door to Windy Mill at the foot of Gusty Gulch? And furthermore, your goal is to find out if there's a secret inside that Windy Mill?" Yakkey asked quietly.

"You mean the windmill near the Boos' village?"

"That's it. Now, are you really wanting to find that secret or not?" Yakkey demanded calmly.

Mario and Luigi took several seconds to make a decision while Bow stood by for now.

"Yes. We need to know Tubba Blubba's weak point," Mario said.

"Hmm... You're quite honest, aren't you?" Yakkey remarked.

"We were born to not-" Mario started to say before Yakkey screamed at the top of his lungs.

"HELP! MASTER TUBBA BLUBBA! THIEVES!"

"Shut up, Yakkey!" Luigi angrily whispered. "You're gonna-"

"Grrrgh? Hmmmph? What's all the noise? Five more minutes, Mom..." Tubba Blubba mumbled while sitting up a small bit.

"Oh no! He's awake!" Bow exclaimed. "Let's get outta here!"

Luigi stowed Yakkey in his overalls pocket while Bow led him and Mario out of Tubba Blubba's bedroom in a jiffy.


	23. The Invincibility Secret

**Chapter 23: The Invincibility Secret**

"Can we go back the way we came?!" Luigi asked.

"I'm thinking about-" Mario started to reply before they heard Tubba Blubba storming toward him, Luigi, and Bow.

"Hey, you! Stop it right there!" Tubba Blubba yelled before punching the door open, causing the group to freeze in place. Before they knew it, Tubba Blubba jumped up and slammed his feet on the walkway, breaking it in half.

Mario acted quickly and took out his Super Leaf to transform into Raccoon Mario. He then grabbed Luigi, who was screaming while plummeting to the foyer. Bow quickly went down with the Mario Bros. and went to open the front door before Mario and Luigi landed safely.

* * *

Meanwhile, a group of tan colored Boos had just arrived at Tubba Blubba's castle.

"At last, we've arrived at Tubba Blubba's Castle! Are you ready, everyone?" one of the Boos said. "Be brave! We must do all we can to help Lady Bow!"

"But...what exactly do we do?" another Boo asked.

"This is no time to lose our nerve, Victor!" the first Boo responded. "Our dear lady is fighting against Tubba Blubba himself! We mustn't-"

"COME BACK HERE!" Tubba Blubba's voice boomed through the door before the walkway impacted the floor. Mario, Luigi, and Bow then exited the castle and slammed the door shut.

"Don't go in!" Mario ordered the Boos. "Tubba Blubba's lost it!"

"You mean he's chasing you guys?!" Victor questioned.

"Yes! We found the secret to his weak point, but we can't explain now!" Luigi replied.

"It's at the Windy Mill!" Mario added in before the Boos threw themselves against the door.

"No! It's too dangerous! He's a madman! He'll eat every last one of you!" Bow cried before Tubba Blubba pounded the door.

"Grruuuur! Why won't this door open?!" Tubba Blubba shouted.

"I...don't know how long...we can...keep holding this...!" the first Boo groaned. "Don't worry about us! Just go!"

Luigi immediately ran ahead while Mario and Bow tried to catch up with him. Seconds later, Tubba Blubba pounded the door a bit harder, knowing that the Boos are holding the door shut.

"I smell delicious ghosts! Open the door!" Tubba Blubba exclaimed.

"Oh God! He's gonna bust down the door!" Luigi screamed.

"Hang on!" Mario said before running up to Luigi's side and grabbed his hand before leaping up and flying toward the Windy Mill. Boo followed behind the Mario Bros.

"Don't look back!" Bow told Mario and Luigi. But Luigi looked back for a second and saw Tubba Blubba breaking the door open and shoving the Boos down his gullet, causing Luigi to panic.

"Fly faster!" Luigi turned his head forward again; he was already sweating from worrying about Tubba Blubba's rampage. A half minute later, Mario saw the Windy Mill and floated down to the entrance before Luigi took Yakkey out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He then threw Yakkey toward the gate to Boo's Mansion while Bow and Mario ran inside.

Luigi was the last to go in the Windy Mill and slammed the door shut before throwing his back against it, panting profusely.

"Okay..." Luigi murmured. "He can't get us in here..."

"You all right-y, bro?" Mario asked, having seen Luigi out of breath.

"Yeah. I was just rushing too much." Luigi wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Do you want to sit down for a couple minutes?" Mario offered.

"No. We need to keep going," Luigi replied. "If we don't find that secret, we'll never get anywhere." Luigi walked up to the open well in the middle of the room and looked at the bottom. "Down here."

Luigi hopped down the well with Mario and Bow behind him. The group ended up in a small passageway with a few Hyper Goombas roaming around. They managed to bypass the Goombas and found themselves in a dome-shaped room with an open tree trunk in front.

"Don't go near that trunk," Luigi warned Mario and Bow. "Something might rise out of it."

Luigi was right; within seconds, a thorned red heart with black and yellow eyes rose up on a small platform.

"What is that...?" Mario whispered to Bow.

"That must be-" Bow started to answer before the heart spoke.

"Who are you?"

"We're...the...Mario Bros..." Mario hesitated.

"The what?! Are you here because someone told you I'm the secret strength of Tubba Blubba?!" the heart asked with disbelief.

"No. We didn't know you were the secret," Bow answered. "How is that?"

"All right. The truth is the Tubba Blubba you've seen is just a shell and I've been controlling him from here all this time," the heart explained. "Why would you even trust me to tell you that?"

"We just wanted to know the secret to his weak point, and we got it," Luigi responded. "Can we leave now?"

Suddenly, the door behind the group slammed shut.

"I can't let you out of here knowing the secret of my 'invincible' body!" the heart declared. "Sorry, but here we go!"

To kick off the battle, the heart shot some of its thorns at Mario and Luigi, but Mario deflected them using his raccoon tail; the thorns didn't hit the heart.

Luigi then took Mario's hammer to try to attack the heart, but it was quick enough to jump out of the way.

Before Bow could attack, the heart said, "Hey you! Lady ghost! You look quite tasty. Stick around after the battle because fighting makes me hungry."

"Ugh! You wish! You don't have a chance, you ghost-gobbling freak!" Bow snapped.

"Oh, I don't have a chance?" the heart responded sarcastically. "How about I do this great attack? It's impossible to avoid." The heart proceeded to charge itself up, emitting a powerful light; the group had to shield their eyes for a brief second. The heart was now glowing a greenish-yellow color, ready to unleash its next attack.

"Go ahead. Try me."

Before Mario and Luigi could do anything, the heart leaped up and pieces of heart tissue began to swarm around Luigi.

"What are these things?!" Luigi exclaimed. Before Mario could answer, the tissue pieces covered Luigi and squeezed him so tight, making it hard for him to breathe.

"M-Mario... Get... P-Please..." Luigi gasped.

Mario took a couple seconds to think it over. He didn't want to hit Luigi with his hammer, but at the same time, he felt it was the only way to stop the tissue pieces from suffocating Luigi. He swung the hammer at Luigi so hard that the tissue pieces dissipated almost instantly. Luigi collapsed on the ground and went into a coughing fit.

While Mario tended to Luigi, Bow rushed up to the heart and slapped it with her fan six times shouting, "How dare you try to kill my companion?!"

The heart was stunned for about five seconds before it dashed toward Mario; he acted fast and swung his hammer so hard, knocking the heart into the wall behind it.

"You touch my brother again..." Mario threatened the heart.

"Or else what...?" the heart replied before the door opened, allowing it to retreat down the passageway. "I'm getting outta here!"

"Get up, Luigi!" Mario said while helping Luigi on his feet. "That heart's getting away!"

Even though Luigi wanted to take a moment to catch his breath, he pushed himself to run after the heart, who wall-jumped up the well. After Mario and Bow caught up with Luigi, they scaled the well back into the Windy Mill.

* * *

Back outside, Tubba Blubba paced back and forth, waiting for the group to show up in front. The Windy Mill's door opened, but it was the heart that hopped outside.

"It's time to reunite!" the heart declared before it leaped into Tubba Blubba's mouth and bonded with his system.

Just as Mario, Luigi, and Bow exited the Windy Mill, Tubba Blubba marched up to them and said, "Oh yeah! Now I'm feeling good! With my heart and body united, there's no way to beat me!"

"Wait a second..." Mario said to himself while Tubba Blubba made his boast. "His heart's the weakness!" He turned to Bow and snapped his fingers; she then flew up to Tubba Blubba and slapped his face continuously with her fan.

"Eeeeoooow!" Tubba Blubba cried while Bow was slapping him. Mario took the small opportunity to charge Tubba Blubba and ram his hammer into his stomach, causing him to fall on his back and spit up every Boo that he ate.

"Yes! We finally did it!" Luigi cheered.

"Serves you right, Tubba Blubba!" Mario taunted before high-fiving Luigi and Bow; his Raccoon form wore off seconds later.

"Oh no..." Tubba Blubba moaned while slowly getting up. He began to tear up due to his stomach hurting from Mario's attack. "With my heart and body united, I'm not invincible anymore... Now I'm back to "not invincible" Tubba Blubba... And I just threw up all the ghosts I had eaten..."

"I'm actually a really sensitive guy trapped in a huge body," Tubba Blubba cried. "I don't wanna be invincible anymore if it means I have to fight guys like you!" Tubba Blubba ran off back to his castle, crying his eyes out.

"Gwaaa ha ha ha! After all this time, everyone who got eaten has returned safely!" Bow said.

"I still don't like being around ghosts," Luigi reminded Bow.

"I know you don't, Luigi. It's all right. We Boos best not scare old Tubba Blubba anymore like we did every night and day; he was a downright coward after all."

"How did you feel when we fought Tubba Blubba and his heart?" Mario asked.

"That was a pretty invigorating experience. I've never felt so full of excitement before!" Bow answered. "It was also a learning experience because now I know how to go about in the outside world."

Bow stopped speaking to think of what to do next.

"You know something? Before me and Bootler give you back the Star Spirit we promised you and Luigi last night, I just realized that you need more help saving the other Star Spirits, so I can't stay home for the rest of your adventure," Bow told Mario.

"Well, we've got some spaces left on our team," Mario responded. "We'd appreciate you being with us until the end."

"No problem." Bow hurried over to Boo's Mansion to get Bootler.

"Only four more left, bro," Mario said.

"Where will we find the next one?" Luigi asked.

"Twink will tell us after we get back to Toad Town."

About two minutes later, Bow and Bootler came back to Gusty Gulch with Skolar in his playing card.

"I wish you and my lady the best of luck out there," Bootler stated. "Please be safe."

Without hesitation, Luigi grabbed the card, causing a white light to shine from the sky; Mario, Luigi, and Bow rose toward the light with the card before fading away.


	24. Shy Guy Riot

**Chapter 24: Shy Guy Riot**

It's now 7:45 AM. Back up in Peach's castle's master bedroom, she was sitting on her bed, not knowing what to do next.

"I would usually be afraid and scream for Mario and Luigi if I was kidnapped by Bowser, but this time, it's so boring that I'm not even scared right now," Peach said with a sigh.

"Probably because you're still in your castle, and you can't do anything but be stuck in this room," Twink added in. After a few more seconds, Peach came up with a thought.

"You said I can't be a helpless princess, right?"

"Yes. What are you trying to say?"

"Well, let's say there's only one Star Spirit left to be saved, and Bowser feels the need to barge into my room again," Peach explained. "He'll probably go deep into having this so-called affection toward me. What I'm saying is if that happens, I could try to defend myself."

"How exactly?" Twink asked.

"Um... I... Look, I don't care for Bowser because he's evil and all, but if I threaten him, I'm putting myself in a 50:50 situation," Peach went on. "I would never try to physically hurt anyone, but I might have to if I'm cornered for too long."

"I don't know, Princess Peach. You might be making the worst mistake of your life."

"Just forget about it, Twink," Peach said. "I'll bring it up later."

Another half minute of silence went by before Twink spoke up. "Do you think Mario and Luigi found a way to beat that Tubba Blubba?"

"They should've. They usually end up victorious in the end, so maybe they found his weak point and hit him where it hurts so bad."

"Good for them. I bet Bowser and his followers are REALLY angry right now," Twink stated.

"Can we go outside again and find out more about the other Star Spirits?" Peach requested.

"If you want to, then we'll go eavesdrop." Peach proceeded to reveal her secret exit and walked to the rotating stand that will take her and Twink into the office study. But the study was not empty.

"It can't be! No! No! No! Explain that again slowly!" Bowser demanded. Kammy had just told him that Tubba Blubba was officially defeated despite his so-called invincibility.

"Your Wretchedness, I keep trying to tell you. Tubba Blubba...was... He...was defeated by the Mario Bros!" Kammy hesitated.

"Well, that sucks because YOU CONVINCED ME HE WAS INVINCIBLE! How can someone do that?!" Bowser roared.

Just as Kammy was acknowledging Bowser's rant, the stand began to slowly turn, revealing Peach and Twink; but Bowser and Kammy didn't see them.

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Urgh... I can't flipping believe them... I guess they did find the secret that made Tubba Blubba not quite so invincible... And then they beat him..." Bowser said angrily. "I hate them so much! Always have to ruin EVERY tactic I lay out!"

"Well, Your Filthiness, we have to come up with another tactic, and fast. Mario and Luigi will probably go to Shy Guy's Toy Box next."

"Yes... So, we should prepare something there for their arrival. I won't be satisfied just having them beaten up anymore! What we need to do is find their weak points and completely humiliate them!"

"You getting that, Twink?" Peach whispered softly.

"Yeah. I'll tell them after this," Twink answered.

"Kammy, you've gotta find out what Mario and Luigi hate, and-" Before Bowser could instruct Kammy on how to enact his next plan, he saw Peach out the corner of his eye.

"WHAT?! For the love of God, why do you always come out of your room easily?!" Bowser asked with disbelief.

"Because your guards didn't spot-check my room," Peach replied while stepping in front of Bowser. "You should've thought of that before you took over my castle."

"Wow. You got a tough attitude," Bowser remarked. "I'm pretty impressed... Psych! Bwahaha!"

"Your Nastiness, tell her about your plan," Kammy told Bowser.

"You know what? This is actually good timing because we were just discussing the weak points of our mutual friends, Mario and Luigi," Bowser said.

"They're not mutual, Bowser," Peach commented.

"Enough of that, Princess Peach. Now, what do you know about their weaknesses, huh? You better be honest with me!"

"Mario and Luigi do not have any weaknesses," Peach replied.

"Don't lie to me. Everybody has to have at least one weakness," Bowser explained. "How about I ask you a series of questions with two options and you tell me which one Mario and Luigi hate with a passion?"

"What if there's a third option?"

"Don't even go there! I don't believe in third options!" Bowser retorted. "Anyway, here we go. Which of these two: a Goomba or a Clubba?"

Peach didn't want to answer the question because the last thing she'd want to do is accidentally betray Mario and Luigi, but she had no choice.

"The Clubba...!" Peach blurted out after a couple seconds.

"Come on, Princess Peach. Don't get so worked up. I'm just talking nice to you."

"I don't want to do this, Bowser! You're gonna turn me against Mario and Luigi!" Peach complained.

"No, I'm not. Let's just move on. Which of these two: a Fuzzy or a Hammer Bro?"

"The Hammer Bro," Peach answered, knowing that the Hammer Bro is stronger than the Fuzzy. She started to sweat from being forced to answer Bowser's questions.

"Okay. That seems reasonable. The Fuzzy doesn't have a weapon, so having a Hammer Bro face them makes good sense. Last question: is it the Pokey or the Koopatrol?"

"The Koopatrol," Peach replied; she knew that Mario and Luigi could take out Pokeys easily.

"Gwahahaha! Excellent answers, Princess Peach! Perfect!" Bowser exclaimed with excitement before turning to Kammy. "You make sure those Mario Bros don't avoid these things that they hate! We'll beat them for sure!"

"Of course, Your Gnarliness! Mario and Luigi are in for it now! Brilliant tactics!" Kammy agreed.

"Thank you. Now, Kammy, have Princess Peach taken back to her room immediately! Finally, we will witness the end of Mario and Luigi at last! Gwahahaha!"

Peach started to feel guilty for answering Bowser's requests even though she was forced to.

"Guards! Attention! Take Princess Peach back to her room at once!" Kammy called out after opening the study door.

"Yes, ma'am!" two Koopatrols responded as they ran inside and picked up Peach once again.

"I'm sorry, Mario and Luigi!" Peach cried as she was rushed back to her room. Just as Bowser and Kammy left the study, Twink came out from his hiding spot and left the castle in a hurry.

* * *

Back in Toad Town; Mario, Luigi, and Bow reappeared through another light beam and ended up next to the sign pointing to Forever Forest. Skolar was hovering in front to give his words of wisdom.

"Hello again, Mario and Luigi," Skolar greeted the Mario Bros. "I knew you could do it. I don't know how to thank you. I knew it was the right decision to ask you to help us. You are excellent heroes. And now that I'm free, I can help you with my power."

Skolar raised his arms up, causing Mario and Luigi to sparkle for a few seconds; they were given more magic from the Star Spirits. Furthermore, Mario's Star Power Band's Star Energy was increased by another unit and reached as far as the third white button from the center of the band.

"What I entrusted you two is 'Star Storm', an attack that involves a barrage of shooting stars that can harm all enemies confronting you whether they have defenses or not. The power costs two units of Star Energy, so please try to conserve it," Skolar said.

"Thank you," Mario thanked Skolar.

"Before I go, I have one bit of bad news. Unfortunately, Bowser's life force seems to be getting stronger all the time. It is most likely the Star Rod that's giving him more power. We're not even sure if he's noticing it or not, but there's no question that it's making him stronger than before," Skolar explained. "We will have to be much more careful in the coming trials."

"I'm sorry to leave, but I must go back to the Star Road. The other Star Spirits are waiting for me there," Skolar continued. "And if you would, please keep it a secret that I got lost in Forever Forest."

"We'll promise not to tell anyone," Mario said.

"Thank you so much. Goodbye for now." With that, Skolar rose up toward the Star Road, leaving Mario and friends to continue with their adventure.

"Mario, I don't think I need the Repel Gel right now. I'd like to drop it off at the pad," Luigi said.

"Sure thing. I need to stow the Magical Seed I've been carrying too," Mario replied before he led Luigi and Bow to the Warp Pipe leading to Mario's Pad. But before they could turn left at the intersection in front of Peach's castle's blue gate, high-pitched screams echoed throughout the town.

"What the heck is that screaming?" Mario wondered. Suddenly, a Shy Guy holding a cash register ran past him to the south. "Is that...Daniel's register...?"

"What's happening?" Bow asked.

"I don't know. It looks like there might be some Shy Guys running amok." Another Shy Guy ran out of the post office with a mailbag in his hands and headed south, screaming like a little girl.

"Hey! Get out of my garden!" Mario and Luigi turned to their right to see another Shy Guy running around a flower garden owned by Mindy T. Mario immediately ran up to the Shy Guy and hammered it to make it run away.

"Thank you, Mario!" Mindy sighed with relief. "The flowers give you their thanks as well!"

"No problem," Mario replied before walking back to Luigi and Bow. "Let's see if there are any more Shy Guys running around."

"Oh no! Not my crystal ball!" Merlon's voice cried out; a Shy Guy ran out of Merlon's house with his crystal ball.

"Poor Merlon..." Mario muttered. "We need to help him get his crystal ball back."

"But where are they going?" Luigi asked.

"We'll check it out later. Let's-a go back home first."

But another high-pitched scream wailed out, causing the group to stay put again. Another Shy Guy hurried out of the corner store with a box full of water bottles.

"Are you kidding me?! Out of all things to steal from the store? A case of water?!" Luigi chuckled. "This is ridiculous!"

"Okay. We've seen enough. Come on," Mario said.

Luckily, on their way to the Warp Pipe, the group didn't hear any more Shy Guys screaming and running. Back at Mario's Pad, Mario went up the steps to the front door and unlocked it before beckoning Luigi and Bow to come inside.

"Give me the gel, please," Mario requested; Luigi gave him the Repel Gel before looking around to make sure no Shy Guys snuck inside.

"They better not have..." Luigi started to say.

"'They better not have' what?"

"One second." Luigi quickly went down to the basement while Mario stored the Repel Gel and the Magical Seed in one of the closet drawers.

"Did they take anything else from here?" Bow asked.

"Well, at least they didn't take the TV or the computer," Mario replied. "I mean, why would they even-"

"NO! THEY DID IT!" Luigi screamed from the basement.

"What happened?!"

"THEY TOOK MY DIARY!" Mario ran down to the basement too. The diary was nowhere to be found.

"Wha- How could they do that?!"

"I don't know!" Luigi answered. "I thought the front door was locked! They shouldn't have gotten in!"

"Well, I guess they opened one of the windows, took the diary, and left everything the way it was like nothing happened," Mario said.

"I swear I'm gonna kill that Shy Guy who stole my diary...!"

"Well, we can't waste any time! To the Shy Guys' hideout!" Mario, Luigi, and Bow immediately ran out of the pad went back to Toad Town before heading east.

"They went that way!" Mario pointed to his right before running south. As they passed another corner store, another high-pitched scream belted out before a Shy Guy ran to the right with a gray key.

"That was my storehouse key!" the owner shouted after running out of the store. "Mario! You have to get that key back, and fast!"

"We're on it!" Mario and friends were fast enough to see the Shy Guy run into an abandoned building one block ahead.

Before they could enter the building, a familiar voice called from behind, "Mario! Luigi!" Mario and Luigi turned to see Twink fly in front of them.

"Hi, Twink. Can we talk later? We need to follow those-" Mario started to ask.

"But don't you want to hear another update?"

"Sure. Let's hear it," Mario answered.

"First off, we found out that you beat Tubba Blubba! I knew you could do it! I just knew it! When we heard the news, Princess Peach was very relieved," Twink said.

"That's brilliant. You want to know what his weak point was?" Mario asked.

"What was it?"

"It was his very own heart," Luigi stated.

"Wow! I had an inkling that his heart could be the secret," Twink said. "Now, about the information regarding the honorable Star Spirits who are still imprisoned... Have you ever heard of Shy Guy's Toy Box?"

"No. What's the toy box like?" Mario asked.

"Well, it seems that one of the honorable Star Spirits is being held there. But the question is: where is the toy box? We don't know that answer for sure," Twink answered.

"Thank you, Twink," Luigi thanked Twink.

"You're welcome. I have to go back to the princess now. Good luck, Mario and Luigi! Princess Peach and I are always cheering you on." As soon as Twink began to fly back to Peach's castle, the group entered the abandoned building and searched the walls for a hidden door. It took about five minutes before Mario felt a loose piece of drywall on the far end of the interior.

"What is this...?" Mario asked himself as he ripped the drywall off, revealing a wooden door. "Hey! I found a hidden door!"

Luigi and Bow rushed up to Mario, who opened the door to a secret room. Inside was a large yellow plaid box with pink and blue polka dots. The lid was loose enough to open the box.

As soon as Mario lifted the lid off, he saw a pool of green, pink, and blue liquids swirling around inside.

"This might be the Shy Guys' toy box," Mario said. "Ready, Luigi?"

"Let's do this," Luigi replied before Mario jumped into the box with Luigi and Bow following behind. What will await Mario and friends inside the toy box whether it's fun or not?


	25. The Not-So-Fun Toy Box

**Chapter 25: The Not-So-Fun Toy Box**

Inside Shy Guy's Toy Box, there were pink and yellow tiles that made up the floor as well as cartoonish drawings of flowers and smiley faces that covered the multi-colored walls. There was also a clock near the ceiling that showed what time it was. Finally, there was a mini train station set up in the center of the first room, but the railroad was broken in two and there was no train on deck.

Upon entering the toy box, Mario and Luigi managed to stick the landing without falling over.

"Wow. Look at this place," Mario remarked while he and Luigi gazed all around the room they appeared in. "This looks fun."

"Are you sure about that?" Luigi asked. "I know there'll be more than meets the eye."

"Guys, what happened to the railroad?" Bow questioned before Mario and Luigi turned to the railroad and examined the broken area.

"Maybe the Shy Guys broke it to forbid the train from going around the toy box," Mario replied.

"But there's no train. Where is it?"

"I don't know. Let's ask the conductor." Mario led Luigi and Bow to the conductor at the station.

Luigi eyeballed a sign that showed four train stations located in a circle; it turned out that the group ended up at the blue station at the bottom of the circle.

"What happened to the train?" Mario asked the conductor.

"I don't know. I asked the other three conductors and they didn't see it on the railroad," the conductor answered. "Those Shy Guys may have stolen the train and hid it either inside this toy box or in the outside world. Will you do me a favor and help find the train?"

"Don't worry, sir. We got this."

"Where do we go first?" Luigi asked after Mario rejoined him and Bow.

"Well, there's always been good luck for us when we start with the right end," Mario answered. "Maybe there's one of the stolen goods down there."

* * *

Just as Mario and friends began down the right end of the south section, Kammy flew in front of a treasure chest containing one of the stolen goods and spawned a green Clubba in front of it.

"You think you can take out those Mario Bros.?" Kammy asked the Clubba.

"Yes, ma'am! They'll never stand a chance against me!" the Clubba declared before Kammy flew off to another toy box section.

* * *

The right pathway was a mixture of fun and seriousness because there were several Shy Guys and Sky Guys roaming around, but to get over the block walls that stood in the way, Mario and Luigi jumped on big jack-in-the-boxes that sprung them up onto the walls.

At one point, there was a wide spike pit between two walls, meaning that it was too long to jump across normally.

"Watch this, Bow," Mario said while Luigi stood near the edge of the pit. Luigi then raised his hands up for Mario to jump onto them before Spin Jumping over the pit. Bow had no trouble floating across.

"That was one of the two jump techniques me and Luigi use to get over or across certain obstacles: the Spin Jump," Mario explained.

"Basically, I stand still and Mario jumps onto my hands before I make like a helicopter and float across a gap like that one behind us," Luigi added in.

After battling more Shy Guys, the group reached the Clubba guarding the treasure chest.

"Mario! If you and your green brother come any closer, I'll strike you both down!" the Clubba threatened.

"Oh, please! We've dealt with your friends before!" Mario chuckled before lunging for the Clubba's mace. "Gimme that club!"

"What are you gonna do now?" Luigi taunted the Clubba.

"I'm running!" The Clubba immediately ran away, not wanting to be beaten by his own weapon. Mario dropped the mace before opening the chest; inside was the storehouse key that the nearby corner store owner was missing.

The group then backtracked through the station and started down the left pathway, which was guarded by several Groove Guys dancing up and down. But they had no interest in dancing with the Groove Guys; they didn't even bother attacking them.

Finally, the group ended up in a dome-shaped room with five Shy Guys playing in a children's playground, complete with a swing set, monkey bars, and a couple slides.

"I never knew Shy Guys were young children," Mario said.

"Yeah. No wonder they were screaming like girls," Luigi chimed in. "Let's see if my diary is somewhere in the playground."

Bow stayed behind while Mario and Luigi examined the playground for any of the lost goods, specifically Luigi's diary. While they were searching, the Shy Guys noticed the Mario Bros. and tried to ambush them to no avail; they ran for their lives after Mario whacked them with his hammer.

Eventually, Luigi found a treasure chest under the middle of the jungle gym; inside was Merlon's crystal ball.

"Let's give the key and crystal ball back before we explore more of the toy box," Mario stated before leading Luigi and Bow to a yellow trampoline that catapulted them out of the toy box back into the outside world. The first thing the group did was deliver the crystal ball back to Merlon.

"Oh, thank you so much, my friends!" Merlon exclaimed after being given the crystal ball. "You are brilliant! Those Shy Guys are just so rambunctious!"

"They sure are. Take care," Mario said before leaving Merlon's house. Mario and friends then went to the corner store near the abandoned building and gave the key to the store owner.

"Thank you, Mario! I owe you a big one!" the store owner thanked Mario. "How about this: to return the favor, I'll unlock the storehouse and you can take whatever you'd like."

"Deal!" Mario declared as the store owner unlocked the storehouse in the back. Inside the storeroom was a miniature train locomotive and three Yellow Question Mark Blocks.

"There's the train the conductor needs," Luigi pointed out before taking the toy train. Inside the three Yellow Question Mark Blocks were an Invincibility Star, a Cape Feather, and a Red Timebomb.

"I've never seen a powerup like this before..." Mario wondered while examining the Red Timebomb. On the bottom on the bomb was a yellow button that would begin a 3-second countdown before it explodes. The bomb would flash white as the timer ticks down to zero.

"This can be useful against a swarm of Shy Guys," Bow said to Mario. "Your hammer's probably not enough to get them all in one hit."

After stowing all three powerups in his overalls pocket, Mario beckoned Luigi and Bow back to the toy box before Luigi dropped the toy train inside; he assumed the train would grow bigger upon entry.

After going back into the toy box, the group saw the conductor jumping up and down with joy and the train sitting on the tracks.

"You did it, guys! We're officially back in business!" the conductor cried. "This locomotive just dropped out of the sky and onto the tracks! Public transit's up and running!"

"Where does this train go to?" Luigi asked.

"It can go to four stations including this one," the conductor said. "Unfortunately, the tracks behind the train are broken, so when we make the full circle, we're gonna try to repair it. Other than that, I can take you to either the Pink, Green, or Red Stations."

"Which station's the closest?" Mario asked.

"The Pink Station is just around the corner. You want to go there?"

"Yeah. Me and my friends want to explore the whole toy box," Mario replied.

"Well, climb aboard! I'm more than glad give you the grand tour."

The conductor entered the train before Mario and friends went inside; the train then started up and began its way east to the Pink Station.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Yes. For the first time, I made up an original powerup. The Red Timebomb is based off the Bomb item from **_**Super Mario Bros. 2**_**. However, the main exception is that the Red Timebomb is manually activated, making it safer than the automatic type in **_**Super Mario Bros. 2**_**.**


	26. Seeking the Stolen Goods

**Chapter 26: Seeking the Stolen Goods**

It's now 8:22 AM. The toy train approached the Pink Station and slowed to a stop.

As soon as Mario, Luigi, Bow, and the Blue Station conductor exited the train; the Pink Station conductor standing near the toy box map said, "Welcome to Pink Station, Mario Bros. While you are free to explore this area, we unfortunately can't go forward because the tracks in front are broken."

The group walked to the right of the station and saw the broken tracks.

"That's not good," Mario said.

"Good luck finding the switch, guys," the Blue Station conductor said to Mario and Luigi. "I'll be waiting here for now."

Since the toy box's east section went only one way, Mario and friends could only go down the right pathway.

* * *

Two minutes earlier, Kammy approached two treasure chests on the far end and spawned two Hammer Bros.

"You two guard those chests, and make sure you hammer Mario and Luigi into the floor like you're nailing down a wood plank!" Kammy ordered the Hammer Bros.

"Yes, ma'am!" "We're on it!" the Hammer Bros responded respectively. Kammy then proceeded to fly off to another toy box section.

* * *

Unlike the Blue Station's east path, there were not as much jack-in-the-boxes or block walls, but there were several Sky Guys flying all over. On the left-hand side was a mezzanine that did not have a staircase or a lift to climb over the railing, and the pink switch that would fix the tracks was situated just next to the archway.

"Luigi, you and Bow see what's down there, and I'll go fix the tracks," Mario instructed Luigi. He handed the Cape Feather to Luigi before hopping onto the closest block wall and going over the railing. Eventually, Luigi and Bow made to the Hammer Bros guarding the chests.

"Well, Luigi. It's odd to see you by yourself," the first Hammer Bro said.

"What's the matter with Mario, huh? Is he too scared of us because that's his weak point?" the second Hammer Bro taunted. Before the Hammer Bros knew it, Luigi took out the Cape Feather and turned into Caped Luigi.

"We don't have weak points, you liars!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Yes, you do!" the second Hammer Bro returned. "How about giving these hammers a taste?"

As soon as the Hammer Bros began tossing their hammers at Luigi, he took off his cape and deflected the hammers back at the Hammer Bros, knocking them out almost instantly.

"Where did you learn to use that cape as a shield?" Bow asked. "I thought it was for flying only."

"It's a dual-purpose type," Luigi replied before putting his cape back on. "Anyway, I hope my diary is in one of these chests."

Unfortunately for Luigi, his diary wasn't in either chest. But he did find the corner store's water case, which had half of the bottles taken away, and the post office's mailbag. Luigi handed the mailbag to Bow before they walked back to Mario, who had just pulled the pink switch on the mezzanine and was waiting for them at the archway.

"Luigi..." Mario said with irritation while looking at the water case. "Don't tell me you drank out of that case."

"I swear I didn't touch it. It was like that when I took it out of that chest," Luigi answered. "Let's board the train before you start forcing me to believe I drank those bottles."

Without hesitation, the group went toward the train, but looked at the tracks for a brief second to make sure they were fixed up by the switch.

"The next station up ahead is the Green Station," the Blue Station conductor said after everyone was aboard the train. "You ready to move on?"

"Yes," Mario replied before the train started off to the Green Station located on the north end of the toy box. Again, the train couldn't go past the Green Station because a segment of tracks was gone, leaving a bottomless hole uncovered.

"How are we gonna fix the tracks this time?" Luigi asked the Blue Station conductor after the group exited the train.

"I have no idea. We might have to go back to the Blue Station after you find what you can in this area."

Just like the east section, the north end extended to the right only, and there were four colored boxes: yellow, green, red, and blue; with stars on all their faces. Mario examined the boxes for a minute but couldn't determine what their purpose was.

"Do these boxes have to do with the broken tracks?" Bow asked.

"We'll worry about them later," Mario replied before beckoning Bow and Luigi to follow him down the pathway. "Follow me."

* * *

Meanwhile, as soon as the train left the Pink Station, Kammy flew to the end of the pathway where another treasure chest was located. She then proceeded to spawn three Koopatrols.

"Remember you're the strongest minions we've ever recruited," Kammy said. "The last thing I'd want to see is all of you lying on your backs, crying for your mamas."

"Yes, ma'am!" the Koopatrols replied with enthusiasm before Kammy flew off.

* * *

Just past the archway were a bunch of conveyor belts and tall metal grates that made it impossible to maneuver to the other side.

Because Luigi promised himself not to lay a finger on a ghost, he used his high jumping abilities to climb over the grates while Mario and Bow both turned invisible to pass through the grates.

For a while, it looked as if there were no enemies standing in the way with a bunch of bushes scattered all over.

"Those aren't regular bushes," Mario pointed out. "I mean, why would this toy box have any vegetation at all?"

Before Luigi could answer, two stones hit the back of his head, but he didn't fall over. Luigi turned around and saw a Spy Guy with a slingshot.

"You mean that guy right there?" Luigi asked while pointing at the Spy Guy.

After Mario nodded, he and Luigi unleashed an attack Bow had never seen before: Luigi cupped his hands and charged a ball of electricity before jumping onto Mario's hands; Mario then threw Luigi in the air before jumping as well. Finally, Luigi threw the electric ball at the ground, knocking out all the Spy Guys.

"Holy moly," Bow said in awe. "What was that?"

"The Thunder Bros. attack," Mario answered. "Apparently, Luigi has the ability to charge up electricity and create a giant shockwave that literally electrocutes all enemies surrounding us."

"That's something you'd never see every day," Luigi chimed in.

After a couple more minutes, Mario and Luigi traversed several moving block platforms before spotting the Koopatrols in the distance.

"Luigi, take the Star Power Band," Mario said quietly while giving Luigi the Star Power Band. "You should lull them to sleep before taking whatever's in that chest."

"Okey-dokey." Luigi crept closer to the platform the Koopatrols were standing on and quickly flew above them. The Koopatrols didn't know Luigi was about to stealthily defeat them with the help of the Star Spirits. Luigi activated the "Lullaby" power and held his fist toward the chest; seconds later, an apparition of Mamar faded into view and sung a short lullaby before disappearing. The Koopatrols immediately fell asleep.

Luigi then used the last two Star Power units to unleash Skolar's "Star Storm" power; a barrage of shooting stars rained from above and took out all three Koopatrols.

"Guys, over here!" Luigi called out before taking off his cape and dropping to the floor. After Mario and Bow rejoined Luigi, Mario opened the treasure chest and found Daniel's cash register alongside a pink paper with red scribbles on it.

"What does that note say?" Luigi asked while picking up the cash register.

"I can't read it. It must be another language," Mario replied as Luigi gave the Star Power Band back to him. "Other than that, I think that's everything for now."

Because there were no more enemies roaming the pathway, it didn't take long for Mario and friends to get back to the Green Station.

"You going back to the Blue Station?" the Blue Station conductor asked.

"Please," Luigi replied before the train went back to the Blue Station. The group then hopped on the yellow trampoline to go back into the outside world. The first thing they did was take the water case back to the corner store.

Instead of thanking Mario and friends for giving the case back, the store owner demanded, "Did you help those Shy Guys drink my water?!"

"Whoa! Hold on there!" Mario butted in. "You're supposed to be grateful for us doing you a favor!"

"You didn't do me a favor! You disgraced me and my store!" the owner roared before the group left the store. "That's right! Get out for good!"

"God... That was just freaking rude..." Mario muttered.

"I know, bro. He's probably having a bad day anyway," Luigi reassured Mario. They proceeded to return the mailbag to the post office.

"How can I ever repay you, Mario and Luigi?" the post office owner thanked the Mario Bros. "Without these letters, we would've fallen behind in our mailing schedule."

"That's why we're here to help," Luigi said.

"Thanks for being nice to us," Mario added in. "The guy in the store accused us for taking his water even though it was the Shy Guys."

"Not a big deal. I know you have no intention of stealing anything."

After leaving the post office, the group made a beeline to the Information Center, where Daniel was waiting anxiously for his register.

"Finally! I can't thank you enough, Mario!" Daniel exclaimed. "You and Luigi are amazing!"

"Thanks, Daniel," Mario replied before taking out the note. "This may sound weird, but are you able to translate these scribbles?"

"Let me see..." Daniel took the note and looked it over for a minute or two. "Okay. It seems to be written in the language of the Shy Guys."

"Are you serious?" Mario asked. "How do you know that?"

"I honestly don't know, but I do," Daniel answered. "Now, this note says, 'Hit yellow, green, red, and then blue.' What an odd thing to write down."

"I know, right?" Luigi commented. "What do the colors mean?"

"Again, I don't-" Daniel started before Luigi remembered the colored boxes.

"Wait! It has to do with the colored boxes at the Green Station!"

"What Green Station?" Daniel asked.

"It's a train station in the Shy Guys' toy box," Mario explained. "I'd love to talk more about it, but we got to leave now. Buh-bye."

All that's left to do is find Luigi's diary and track down the leader of the Shy Guys before rescuing the fourth Star Spirit. How will it play out for Mario, Luigi, and Bow?


	27. Vs General Guy

**Chapter 27: Vs. General Guy**

Back in Shy Guy's Toy Box, Mario repeated the translated note over and over in his head to remember what blocks to hit in the right order. There was one instance in which he accidentally said it out loud and apologized to Luigi for it.

"Don't worry about it, Mario," Luigi said. "I understand how you want to remember the order."

"All right! Back to Green Station, folks!" the Blue Station conductor declared after everyone boarded the train. Immediately after the train stopped at the Green Station, Mario ran out of the train and hit the yellow, green, red, and blue boxes with his hammer. As a result, four boards with their respective colors fell onto the tracks, filling the entire gap. Within seconds, the train was off again to the Red Station at the west side of the toy box.

"I'll be waiting to take you back to the Blue Station when you're done here," the conductor said.

"No, thank you. We'll find a way out ourselves," Mario replied.

"Are you sure? This is the safest route, Mario."

"We'll be teleported out of here after we save the Star Spirit," Luigi added in. "Wish us luck."

"Okay. Don't hurt yourselves, Mario Bros. Goodbye for now," the conductor bid the group goodbye before taking the train back to the Blue Station. He did have to fix the tracks prior to pulling up at the station.

Just like the south side, the west side had two pathways for Mario and friends to explore.

"Could my diary be down that way?" Luigi asked while pointing down the left pathway.

"Let's find out," Mario said before walking ahead with Luigi and Bow following behind.

What differed from the Blue Station's west path was that there were block towers everywhere with a Ferris wheel and multiple elevator-like platforms. On top of that, there were Pyro Guys walking around and lighting up their surroundings, given they were made of fire.

"Unless there's a water powerup over here, I'm not dealing with those fireheads," Mario commented before pressing on. To get over the block towers, Luigi and Mario used their High Jump technique. Eventually, they found themselves inside a room lit up with a couple torches on the walls. There was a treasure chest in the very middle that caught the group's eyes.

"I don't like this, Mario..." Luigi said in an unsure tone of voice while approaching the chest.

"It's okay, Luigi," Mario replied. "Remember what happened at Tubba Blubba's Castle when we found one of the keys? There's nothing to worry about."

Upon opening the chest which contained Luigi's diary, he immediately became excited and held the diary in the air.

"Yes! After all this time-"

Suddenly, numerous rows of spikes rose quickly from the floor and the room shook violently. The group looked up to see a spiked ceiling caving in on them. Mario had a flashback of when a similar spiked ceiling nearly crushed him at Wendy's Castle and hurriedly vaulted over the spikes toward the doorway.

"I'M NOT PLAYING THE MAZE GAME! I AM NOT!" Mario screamed at the top of his lungs.

"But Mario-" Bow started while she and Luigi followed Mario out of the room, barely escaping the spiked ceiling.

"SHUT UP! NOT AGAIN!" Mario stormed toward one of the block towers and pounded it so hard that it fell over and crushed two Pyro Guys in the process.

"Okay... That was too quick to throw a tantrum..." Bow murmured with confusion. Luigi walked up to Mario and tried to put his hand on his shoulder, but Mario slapped it away.

"Mario! Come on! I'm trying to calm you down," Luigi protested. "You can't just destroy a tower because of a bad memory."

"For the tenth time, Luigi, I do not give a shtick," Mario said with clenched teeth. "Do you even realize how scared I was?"

"Yes, I do. But that was a long time ago. You should-"

"Stop it. I'm not gonna put up with you saying, 'It's in the past.' 'It's all ov-" NO! JUST NO! DON'T GO THERE ANYMORE!" Mario yelled.

"Okay. I'm sorry I told you 'It's over.'" Luigi apologized.

"Don't apologize. Just please understand me," Mario said calmly.

"Bro. It's okay. Just take it slow." Luigi hugged Mario briefly before he led Mario and Bow back to the Red Station.

"Are you good?" Luigi asked Mario, who took a deep breath.

"I think so. I don't know why, but it's just one of those scary moments that gets me agitated," Mario said.

"I understand. You ready to save the next Star Spirit?"

"Let's-a go." Without further ado, Mario and friends pressed on down the right path. It wasn't long before they came across a red Shy Guy in front of a stack of triangular blocks.

"Can you let us through?" Mario asked the Shy Guy.

"Get away!" the Shy Guy cried while backing up against the blocks. "Please! You're scaring me!" Luigi slowly approached the Shy Guy and kneeled in front.

"Look, I'm gonna reason with you. We're nice people. No one's here to hurt you," Luigi said softly. The Shy Guy teared up, seeing Mario reach for his Red Timebomb in his pocket.

"What is he doing?!" the Shy Guy exclaimed. "Tell him to stop!"

"Calm down, my friend. My brother's probably getting out a stress ball because he tends to get angry at the little things." Luigi patted the Shy Guy's head, calming it down slightly. "Now, is there any way to-"

Before Luigi could finish his question, the blocks exploded into hundreds of pieces, causing the Shy Guy to run away with nine others, screaming like little girls.

"No! Wait! Come back!" Luigi pleaded. "I thought we had a moment!" It turned out that Mario threw the Red Timebomb at the blocks and scared the Shy Guys in the process.

"Mario... What did you do...?" Luigi asked while glaring at Mario.

"I did you a favor," Mario answered. "Now can we-" Luigi immediately charged Mario, who retaliated by tackling him.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Bow ordered the Mario Bros.

"You're flipping insane!" Luigi groaned while Mario held his arms down. "Get off me!"

"How many times did I tell you I don't care?!" Mario argued.

"How many times have I told you that violence is not-"

"I SAID, 'KNOCK IT OFF!'" Bow screamed while growing big for a few seconds, startling Mario and Luigi. "This is no time to argue and fight each other!"

Mario slowly stood back up before Luigi did the same.

"Don't charge me again," Mario said while pointing his finger at Luigi. "Ever."

"Mario, I was trying to be friendly with that Shy Guy," Luigi responded. "You can't show impatience like this."

"Can we discuss this later?" Bow asked. "Let's keep going." Mario proceeded to lead Luigi and Bow down the path again.

"I'm sorry, Luigi. I wasn't thinking."

"I know you weren't thinking," Luigi said before Mario took another deep breath. "Next time, you need to think it through. Violence is never the answer. Please remember that."

"I'll try."

The room ahead was where the Shy Guys ran into. It turned out to be the end of the road as they were standing in front of a block fort with a middle-aged Shy Guy wearing a white military outfit.

"So, you came, did you?" the white cladded Shy Guy announced. "I'm General Guy. We're following the orders of King Bowser by guarding a Star Spirit. As long as we keep it secure, we have permission to do whatever we want. You hear me?!"

"The only thing we'll hear from you is your girly screams, sir," Mario said.

"Oh! How dare you speak to me like that?!" General Guy retorted. "You are rude, and furthermore, you three are trespassing in here! Our toy box is off limits to the likes of you! The treasures inside this box are for Shy Guys only! And that Star Spirit's fate is none of your business!"

"We'll see about that, sir!" Luigi threatened General Guy.

"Very well! Prepare to fight me and taste defeat!" General Guy declared. "Charge them!"

Right on cue, the Shy Guys ran toward the group while General Guy went behind the fort for now.

"Okay, guys! All together now! Let's rush those meanies!" one of the Shy Guys shouted. They began to swarm Mario and Luigi, who immediately hammered and punched them away, respectively.

"I wish I had that bomb with me!" Mario yelled. "Things would've been easier!"

"I know! You should've listened back then!" Luigi answered. He and Mario struggled for a half-minute, but managed to fend off all the Shy Guys, who screamed and ran away out of the room.

As soon as the Shy Guys were gone, a toy tank with a big lightbulb rolled in front of Mario and Luigi.

"Mario! Luigi! You shall pay!" General Guy stated after poking his head out. "You beat my infantry, but that's all you'll do! Nobody embarrasses the brave Shy Guys of my army! Nobody!"

"Oh yeah? Well, nobody messes with me or Luigi!" Mario replied. General Guy went back inside his tank and charged up the lightbulb, causing a shield of electricity to surround it.

"I got this, bro! Step back!" Luigi ordered Mario. The lightbulb shot a bolt of lightning at Luigi, who held out his left palm and shot his own bolt simultaneously. Luigi winced as he tried his hardest to push the lightbulb's bolt back to the tank.

"It's...too...strong...!"

"Mercy! Why is Luigi's attack fighting against mine?!" General Guy shouted from inside the tank, which was shaking due to the bolt struggle. "I got to do Plan B!"

General Guy pushed a red button on his control pad and a cannon stuck out the front of the tank. "Prepare to die!"

He pressed the red button again and shot a bomb at Luigi. At the last second, Mario ran in front of Luigi and batted the bomb back at the tank. At the same time, Luigi managed to fight back the lightbulb's bolt and destroyed it.

Both attacks combined blew up the rest of the tank, which flew back into the fort, causing it to collapse in a heap.

Mario and Luigi fell on their knees and panted profusely for a minute.

"You okay, bro?" Mario asked Luigi.

"Yeah. Thanks for saving me." Mario and Luigi stood back up before they walked up to the collapsed fort and lifted the blocks off the ground to see General Guy laying his back.

Mario took his glove off and pressed his fingers against General Guy's neck. There was no heartbeat; General Guy was crushed to death.

"He's dead, Luigi," Mario said while putting his glove back on. "We killed General Guy."

"Wow. I thought he was gonna run away too, but I guess not," Luigi commented.

"Hi, misters!" a young girl's voice called from above.

"Who said that?" Mario asked while he and Luigi looked around the room. Seconds later, a baby Li'l Sparky with a blue pacifier floated in front of the Mario Bros.

"You just saved me like heroes! Yay for me!"

"You're welcome," Mario responded. "What's your name?"

"I'm Watt. You two are heroes, aren't ya?" While Watt introduced herself, Mario pressed the #3 button on his Partner Collection Band, sending Bow into the band.

"Isn't it obvious?" Luigi said. "We're the Super Mario Bros."

"Oh my gosh! You're the coolest! Yay!" Watt squealed. "Are you Luigi, Mario's brother?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Thank you and Mario so much. How about I make it up to you?" Watt offered.

"Sure. You want to join us?" Mario asked.

"I'd love to! You're super great!" Watt said. "While the Shy Guys held me captive, they said something about you two trying to save Princess Peach from Bowser. And I know you can't do it alone, so that's why I want to help you out. I'll be good! I promise!"

"I know, Watt. You're really sweet," Mario said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you! You just made my day even happier!" Watt cheered. "I'm ready to go!"

"Brilliant! Welcome to our team, Watt!"

Suddenly, a glowing white orb rose from the blocks and stopped in front of the group.

"We're so out of here," Mario stated. "Only three more, guys."

After four seconds, the orb blew up and imploded to reveal Muskular trapped in a playing card. Mario immediately grabbed the card, prompting a bright white light to shine from the ceiling. Mario and friends then flew up with the card before fading away.


	28. About Lavalava Island

**Chapter 28: About Lavalava Island**

Back up in Peach's castle's master bedroom, she was sitting on the balcony again, staring at the skies.

"Are you okay, Princess Peach?" Twink asked Peach.

"Yeah. I just zoned out for a minute," Peach replied. "You know what it's like to look at something amazing like a sunset, but your eyes fixate on it so much that you can't go back to reality until someone snaps you out of it."

"That's true." Peach got up from her chair and stretched her legs before walking back inside.

"I was just thinking... Maybe those guards have stopped paying attention to us again, so how about we sneak out of here? We might be able to find more news to help Mario and Luigi," Peach said.

"Do you think it's still safe to use that secret path?" Twink asked.

"I believe so. Maybe Bowser forgot already that the path exists. I mean, he might have a bad memory."

"That's possible," Twink responded. "I guess we'll just get out of here again. Where to?"

"Follow me." Peach and Twink went through the secret path again and exited through the office. This time, Peach thought about going to the living room on the first floor, which houses a giant-screen TV.

"This is the castle's living room," Peach stated quietly after slowly shutting the living room door. "In here, we watch all kinds of movies and play video games whenever I have friends over."

Peach turned on the light dimmer switch and dimmed the lights to the lowest setting. She then went to the video cabinet and rummaged through the DVD box. She eventually found a DVD case that read, "Bowser's Star Rod Plan".

"Make sure to turn the volume all the way down," Twink said.

"Not a problem. I'll see if there are subtitles on this DVD."

Peach proceeded to turn the TV on and load the DVD. On the main menu were three options: "Play Movie", "Scene Selection", and "Settings". Lucky for Peach, she found the "Subtitles" option in the settings menu and turned them on before going to the list of scenes.

The thumbnails and scene titles depicted Bowser going through his to-do list of his plan to kidnap the Star Spirits. Peach chose the scene called, "Trapped in a Volcano". It was obvious that Bowser was standing inside a volcano at that point. Before playing the movie, Peach turned the volume nearly to 0, but kept it at a level where she was able to hear the audio.

"Greetings, my fellow minions!" the on-screen Bowser reported. "This is King Bowser speaking from inside Mt. Lavalava here on Lavalava Island. What a volcanic chamber this is!" Bowser scanned his surroundings for a moment. "It's like I'm standing inside a sauna!"

"Anyway, now that I've taken care of that blue Star Spirit in Shy Guy's Toy Box, I thought what better way to trap the ponytailed Star Spirit than to take her inside an active volcano," Bowser went on. "In fact, I've rigged the volcano to erupt as soon as those Mario Bros. come across the Lava Piranha holding the Star Spirit hostage."

"Where is Lavalava Island?" Peach questioned.

"I have no idea, but I bet Mario and Luigi will get some answers after I tell them what we know," Twink replied.

"Wait a minute. I just realized something. Maybe Mario and Luigi will have no idea how to even get to Lavalava Island," Bowser said. "It's literally in the middle of the ocean! Not even close to Dinosaur Land!"

"All right. I think I've said enough. Just continue to sit tight, my minions. There's no need to take action right now unless Princess Peach tries to escape her room again. Don't play dumb with me, or else! Gwahahaha! See you soon!"

The screen cut to black before a message faded into view, "To Princess Peach, don't get your hopes up! There's no way in heck that Mario and Luigi will reach my castles!" Peach quickly paused the movie after the message appeared on the screen and took out the DVD before turning the TV and lights off. This is so that whoever visits the living room next will be fooled that nothing was touched.

"Okay. Now to sneak back into my room," Peach said. She slowly opened the door and avoided the Koopatrols flashing their flashlights while patrolling the foyer. Peach's heart was beating faster and faster because of her being worried that someone would spot her.

Peach placed her back against the left wall and slowly moved left to the office study's door before opening it enough for her to barely squeeze through. She then hurried back down the secret path before turning on the fireplace.

"Yes! Finally!" Peach exclaimed while pumping her fists in the air. "We got the info we needed without getting caught!"

"And not one guard even cared to look harder for intruders," Twink added in.

"Oh geez. You don't even know how excited I am," Peach said while fanning herself; she was sweating while walking to and from her room. "I'm actually sweating right now."

"Well, I'll let you cool off while I go tell Mario and Luigi about Lavalava Island."

"Good idea, Twink. Bye," Peach said before Twink left her room to find Mario and Luigi. She proceeded to walk into her bathroom to take a shower and reapply her face makeup.

* * *

"You know, being inside a dungeon isn't that bad after all," Jim said out loud while sitting next to his cell's bars. He had a small smirk on his face. "I mean, who needs to live a regular old-school life when you can isolate yourself from the world? Who cares about being an author writing stupid books about childhood adventures? Ha!"

"Jim, are you okay?" Toadsworth called out from his bench. "You sound like you're-"

"Oh, back off, you worthless Toad!" Jim interrupted. "I don't want to hear your annoying anxiety!"

"Jim! That's so rude of you!"

"Oh, I'm rude? Heck no! I've been the nicest boy in the world!" Jim exclaimed. "Can you do me a favor and stop being nice to me?"

Suddenly, Jim started talking to himself in a deep voice as if he was sitting with another guy. "Jim, listen to yourself! You're literally taking things the wrong way!"

"No, I'm not! YOU'RE taking things the wrong way! Don't try to act positive to me!" Jim shouted.

"Oh boy..." Toadsworth muttered. "I knew this was coming..."

"But that's how you should live your life. Thinking negatively will hurt your mind," Jim said in his deep voice.

"You know what's hurting my mind?! It's your voice, Mij!" Jim yelled, having named his contrasting figment.

"Mij? Thanks for naming me that. This goes to show how different we are."

"Jim, can you quiet down, please?" Toadsworth requested. "I want a moment's peace."

"Listen to him, you fool. He's trying to help you."

"I just said I don't want any help!" Jim shouted. "Stay out of it! And that includes you too, Toady!" Jim smirked again at his insult to Toadsworth.

"What has Bowser done to him...?" Toadsworth asked himself.

* * *

It's now 9:05 AM. Mario, Luigi, and Watt reappeared through another light beam and landed outside the abandoned building containing the toy box. Muskular was waiting for their arrival.

"Ah, fresh air again!" Muskular sighed with relief. "After being cooped up in there for so long, I could really use some outdoor exercise. My name is Muskular. Mario and Luigi, I must thank you for saving me. Now it's my turn to help you. Behold!" Muskular raised his arms up, causing Mario and Luigi to sparkle for a few seconds. Then, Mario's Star Power Band's Star Energy was refilled completely before being increased by another unit and reached as far as the fourth white button from the center of the band.

"My gift to you is the power known as 'Chill Out'," Muskular explained. "What it does is lower the defenses of certain enemies that are usually hard to fight easily, and it costs two units of Star Energy to use this power."

"Does that mean it'll make it easier to take down Bowser with that power?" Mario asked.

"Slightly easier. But that's after the Star Beam reverses Bowser's Star Rod power," Muskular replied. "Call on me whenever you find yourself in trouble. I'll always come quickly to aid you in battle. Now, I'm going back to my dear old Star Road..."

"Mario! Luigi!"

Mario and Luigi turned to see Twink fly in from behind.

"I have news... News from the castle..." Suddenly, Twink saw Muskular and became shocked. "Honorable Star Spirit!"

"Hi," Muskular greeted Twink. "I believe you are... Twink, no? You're the youngster who recently ascended from Starborn Valley up to the Star Road." Twink hearing Muskular say his name surprised him even more.

"What?! You remember my name?!"

"Hahaha! Why, of course! We're like family!" Muskular chuckled. Twink teared up a small bit.

"I... I... I'm so touched!"

"Hohoho! Don't make such a fuss, lad. I'm sure you'll go up to do great things!" Muskular reassured Twink. "I must take my leave now. Goodbye."

Twink took a few moments to compose himself after Muskular left for the Star Road.

"Oh golly... I talked with Muskular, the honorable Star Spirit..." Twink murmured. "I rarely have such a chance, even at the Star Road... I'm shaking..."

"Are you okay, Twink?" Luigi asked.

"Kind of. It was just mind-blowing," Twink responded.

"What were you gonna tell us?" Mario questioned.

"Um... Oh! I remember now. Just earlier, me and Princess Peach went to her living room and we found this movie that Bowser made about him kidnapping the Star Spirits and stealing the Star Rod."

"What did he say was next after the toy box?" Luigi asked.

"We saw Bowser standing inside a volcano known as Mt. Lavalava, which is located somewhere in this place called Lavalava Island," Twink explained. "It seems that one of the honorable Star Spirits is being held there. I hope it will be of help."

"Your info's always full of help, Twink. Don't worry about it being useless," Mario said.

"Thank you, Mario. I'm more than glad to be you and Luigi's messenger. As always, I wish you good luck. Princess Peach and I will keep looking for useful information."

After Twink flew back to the Star Road, the group immediately started back to the pipe leading to Mario's Pad because Luigi needed to put his diary back in the basement.

"I hope the Shy Guys didn't write anything in my diary," Luigi said after walking inside.

"Me neither, bro. Why don't you check all the pages?" Mario asked. Luigi took five minutes to look through all his diary and double-check to make sure he didn't miss anything. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the pages after the most recent writing were blank.

"Thank God. I guess the Shy Guys didn't have any pens with them. Maybe they just treated it like a regular book before stowing it away."

"That's a nice place you got, Mario," Watt said after flying all over the house. "I like how you organized your stuff."

"Thank you, Watt." Mario replied.

"Can I change my clothes, Mario? I feel like the spray tan is wearing off," Luigi requested.

"Go for it. I'll be in the living room until you're ready."

Luigi quickly went into the bathroom to shower up and wash the spray tan off his skin before changing outfits.


	29. Meeting Familiar Friends

**Chapter 29: Meeting Familiar Friends**

"What an amazing story, Mario," Watt said. Mario had just finished telling her about his adventure with Luigi and Jim to Dinosaur Land in November 1990.

"Not just amazing. It was a mixture of sadness, heart warmth, fun, and epicness," Mario replied. "It's not a proper adventure without more than one definition."

"I see."

Just then, Mario heard the bedroom door open and Luigi walked out wearing his trademark outfit and his skin was back to normal.

"It feels great to be my old self again, bro," Luigi remarked. "I mean, my homemade Fire Flower outfit was cool and all, but I find it weird to put on spray tan just to resemble myself from that one game with Spinies and Fighter Flies."

"Why don't we go ask Daniel how to get to Lavalava Island?" Mario offered.

"Good idea, Mario. If the island is somewhere in the ocean, maybe near Dinosaur Land, I brought some music handhelds for both of us." Luigi took out two Walkman media players from his overalls pocket.

"All right-y. I think we're good to go. Ready, Watt?"

"I'm ready!" Watt declared. "Let's go!"

Without hesitation, Mario, Luigi, and Watt made their way to the Information Center and approached Daniel T. at the receptionist desk.

"Welcome back, Mario Bros. How may I help you?" Daniel asked.

"Well, we're going on another long trip. This time, it's to this distant place called Lavalava Island," Mario explained.

"What's over there?"

"From what we know, there might be some-"

"Exotic treasures!" a familiar voice called out. The group quickly turned to see Dr. Kolorado walking into the Information Center.

"Dr. Kolorado! Great to see you again!" Mario cheered before shaking Dr. Kolorado's hand.

"I guess that's a good reason to go to the island," Daniel said to himself.

"Nice to see you too, old boy!" Dr. Kolorado turned to Luigi. "Hello, Luigi!"

"What's going on, Doc?"

"I read a book yesterday that there's a Volcanic Vase deep within Mt. Lavalava," Dr. Kolorado explained. "The Museum of Archaeology's director asked me to search for it, and I want you to help me on this quest."

"Mt. Lavalava? You know that's just as dangerous as Dry Dry Desert is," Daniel warned the group.

"That's true, but we know what we're doing, Daniel," Luigi said. "Don't worry about us."

"Not a problem. Now, there's a ferry that goes to and from Lavalava Island. It's a luxurious one, to be exact. You're gonna love the trip," Daniel explained. "It does take four hours to get to the island because it's way out there, but I know it'll be worth the ride."

"When's the next departure?" Mario asked.

"It's 10:01 AM now, and the ferry leaves for Lavalava Island at 10:30."

"Thank you so much, Daniel. You're a really great friend, I tell you," Mario said.

"You too, Mario. Good luck on that treasure hunt, guys," Daniel bid the group goodbye as they left the Information Center.

It took 24 minutes to get to the Toad Town Port, where the SS _Oceania_ ferry boat was stationed.

"There she is, old boys: the SS _Oceania_," Dr. Kolorado said. "Since I had a feeling you two were gonna go to Lavalava Island as well, I reserved the boat for the three of us."

"That's so nice of you," Mario replied. "I can't wait."

"Me too," Luigi agreed.

The group approached the ferry entrance, where the captain, Jonah T., was standing by.

"Good morning, Dr. Kolorado."

"Greetings, Captain Jonah," Dr. Kolorado greeted Captain Jonah. "How's the boat looking?"

"Pretty clean and neat. We're leaving in five minutes, so you and the Mario Bros. may make yourselves comfortable."

"Right-o." Dr. Kolorado beckoned Mario, Luigi, and Watt into the ferry, whose interior resembled a miniature cruise ship.

"Mamma mia... This is... I can't describe how lovely this ship looks..." Mario murmured while looking around the dining room, which was what the entrance led to.

"Let me show you guys around," Dr. Kolorado said before giving the Mario Bros. a quick tour of the ferry. The first floor comprised the dining room for up to twenty passengers, an open balcony on the back end, and a bar on the front end. On the second floor, there were ten quarters housing two beds each and a game room complete with a pool table and four arcade machines. The third floor comprised the ship's bridge and an open patio that serves as an observation deck.

"Why don't we sit on the deck for a while?" Dr. Kolorado offered. "We might as well get some fresh air in our systems."

Just as Mario, Luigi, and Dr. Kolorado sat themselves on some of the patio chairs, Captain Jonah turned on the intercom and announced, "Attention, passengers. Welcome aboard the SS _Oceania _bound for Lavalava Island. We'll be departing in less than a minute, so hang tight while the boat starts up and leaves port. You can then walk around once we're in the open waters."

"The ride time from Toad Town Port to Lavalava Island Beach will be three hours and 50 minutes," Captain Jonah went on. "Depending on how the ocean traffic holds up, we could arrive several minutes ahead or behind schedule, so just bear with me. Other than that, we hope you enjoy your time today. Thank you."

As soon as the intercom shut off, Captain Jonah started the ferry's engines and left Toad Town Port at a slow speed.

One hour into the ride, Mario went down to the bar with Dr. Kolorado and got two cola bottles for both.

After going back up to the third-floor deck, Mario saw Luigi wearing his Walkman headphones, lip-syncing to the songs he's listening to.

"Well, what do we have here, bro?" Mario asked while sitting next to Luigi. He initially didn't hear Mario speak to him but paused his music when he saw Mario sit down.

"Oh. Hi, Mario. What took you so long?"

"Not that long. Me and Dr. Kolorado got some sodas," Mario replied. "What are you listening to?"

"Dave Rodgers. He's the best Eurobeat artist ever."

After Mario nodded, he turned to Dr. Kolorado. "Luigi wants to be a Eurobeat artist in the future since he loves that music genre. He said he'll do covers at first, but he'll eventually make original songs."

"What's Eurobeat?" Dr. Kolorado asked.

"It's a type of dance music. Really catchy." Mario reclined in his chair and let out a sigh before covering his eyes with his cap; Luigi resumed his music at the same time. "Might as well get some rest since we got three hours."

"Me too," Dr. Kolorado agreed before he reclined himself.

Two hours and 45 minutes later, at 2:15 PM, the SS _Oceania_ finally pulled up at Lavalava Island, which was located northeast of the Mushroom Kingdom by a couple hundred miles.

"Attention, passengers," Captain Jonah said over the intercom. "We are now pulling up at Lavalava Island Beach. Once the ferry comes to a complete stop, please collect all your belongings before proceeding to the exit down in the first floor's dining room. Thank you once again for choosing the SS _Oceania_ and have a wonderful afternoon."

Mario and Luigi decided to leave their Walkman players on the ship because they believed the players would melt from the extreme heat of the inside of Mt. Lavalava.

As soon as the group made their way to the exit, Captain Jonah opened the exit door and laid out a walkway reaching the shore.

"I'll be waiting here with the boat until you guys come back," Captain Jonah said. "I dear hope you make it out of the volcano safely."

"We'll be fine, Captain Jonah," Dr. Kolorado replied.

"Good man. See you soon." Without further ado, Mario and friends started down the beach to explore the island before going inside Mt. Lavalava.

"Behold, old boys! Off there in the distance is the summit of Mt. Lavalava! Triumphant!" The group turned to see the top half of Mt. Lavalava with steam coming out of the caldera.

"Is that volcano active?" Luigi asked.

"I hope not. But I'm a risk-taker like you two are. I'd give my life for precious treasure because that's my long-time passion."

For ten minutes, the group walked along the shore, gazing at the vegetation and the beautiful white sands. They then traversed through tall trees and bushes in a vast area known as Jade Jungle. Within the jungle were Jungle Fuzzies, Hurt Plants, and Putrid Piranhas that let out bad breath as their main attacks.

It was a bit hard for Mario, Luigi, and Watt to fight the Putrid Piranhas due to their bad breath; at one point, Luigi almost puked up his lunch that he ate on the ferry ride. Other than that, the jungle wasn't that bad. Eventually, Mario and friends came across a sign that read, "Welcome to Yoshi's Village".

"Oh my God," Mario gasped. "Does that mean..."

"Probably," Luigi interrupted. "I bet Yoshi will be excited to see us."

"Are they the dinosaurs that live in Dinosaur Land, from what I've read?" Dr. Kolorado asked.

"Yes. Princess Peach said that the Yoshis are cute and friendly," Luigi explained. "They'll be more than welcome to let us into their village."

The group proceeded to walk into Yoshi's Village, which was a smaller version of the village in Yoshi's Island within Dinosaur Land. Only three buildings were built: a dining hall, an Inn complete with six single living quarters, and an entertainment center with all kinds of games. There were only eight Yoshis that lived in the village, given that it was a small place.

"Hmm... None of the Yoshis look familiar..." Mario wondered out loud, looking at the Yoshis.

"Yeah. At least we can-" Luigi started to say before another familiar voice called out from the Inn.

"Mario! Luigi!"

The Mario Bros. turned to see Yellow Yoshi quickly approaching them; he was so excited to see them.

"Yellow Yoshi!" Mario exclaimed before hugging Yellow Yoshi. "It's been too long!"

"I know! I'm so excited to see you again!" Yellow Yoshi turned to Luigi and hugged him too. "Oh, Luigi! Thank you so much for coming over too!"

"You know them?" Dr. Kolorado asked.

"Of course! We met in Dinosaur Land after they rescued me from those bad Koopas who trapped me in an egg."

_*TEN YEARS AGO*_

_As soon as Iggy disappeared completely, a white egg with yellow spots rolled in the opposite direction of Iggy toward the group. It slowly cracked open, revealing Yellow Yoshi. His right forearm was broken, and his left cheek bore a blackish-green bruise._

_"Yellow Yoshi! I can't believe it's you!" Yoshi exclaimed with excitement._

_"Yeah. Thanks for saving me, Yoshi. And thank you too." Yellow Yoshi told everyone._

_"You look pretty hurt. Did Bowser beat you up?" Jim questioned, having noticed Yellow Yoshi's injuries._

_"Luckily, Bowser didn't hurt me himself. Those bad guys did a great deal of damage to me. One of them threw a football at my arm and broke it in half, and some red turtle headbutted my cheek so hard," Yellow Yoshi explained._

_Mario immediately felt sorry for Yellow Yoshi's well-being. "Oh no... I'm so sorry..."_

_*PRESENT DAY*_

"So, yeah. That was a painful experience," Yellow Yoshi said, ending his little story. "But at the same time, I had faith in myself even when I was trapped in the egg."

"Hi, Yellow Yoshi. I'm Watt," Watt introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Watt. I'm guessing you're one of Mario and Luigi's allies?"

"Yes. They rescued me from those crazy Shy Guys and I'm returning a favor by helping them save Princess Peach," Watt said.

"Why are you here in Yoshi's Village?" Luigi asked.

"Well, over the last ten years, my original home at Yoshi's Island was growing with lots of Yoshis. I mean, it got to the point where the population went over the maximum we could allow," Yellow Yoshi explained. "Yoshi, who's the leader of that village, suggested that some of the Yoshis move out to find another place to live. And I volunteered to lead the Yoshis who also opted to leave."

"How are Yoshi and Red Yoshi doing?" Mario questioned.

"They are doing awesome. In fact, both have been dating for several years now, which is weird. I thought they were regular friends."

"Same," Mario agreed. "I guess it'll be some time before Yoshi asks Red Yoshi to marry him."

"So, what brings you guys to Yoshi's Village?" Yellow Yoshi asked the group.

"I didn't get to introduce myself, Yellow Yoshi," Dr. Kolorado said. "I'm Dr. Jesse Kolorado, and my mission here is to seek a Volcanic Vase in Mt. Lavalava for the Museum of Archaeology."

"Mt. Lavalava, eh? You want to venture inside an active volcano that could literally burn you alive?"

"We're risk-takers, Yellow Yoshi!" Mario exclaimed.

"I can tell. You just want to ignore my warnings, don't you?" Yellow Yoshi said with sarcasm. "I'm just kidding. I know you can handle it."

"How can you help us with accessing the volcano?" Luigi asked.

"Follow me. I'll lay out a plan." Yellow Yoshi beckoned Mario and friends into the dining hall to discuss the dangers of Mt. Lavalava and how to brave them.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Just to point out, Sushie will not be included in this fanfic because she joined the team thinking that Princess Peach and the Star Spirits being kidnapped sounds like a romantic story. I see that as another deviation from the plot.**


	30. The Volcanic Venture

**Chapter 30: The Volcanic Venture**

"Let's go over this again," Yellow Yoshi said after finishing a drawing of the outskirts of Jade Jungle and what he thought the inside of Mt. Lavalava is.

"I'll have Apple get the chainsaw and chop down the nearest tree to the volcano. That way, it'll serve as a bridge for you to cross the wide lava river separating the jungle from the volcano. You have to walk slowly and NOT look down, or else you'll get scared enough to accidentally fall off the trunk. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Mario and Luigi replied.

"As I said earlier, I have absolutely NO idea what Mt. Lavalava is like inside because not only did I make a commitment to not roam around in there, but I ordered the Yoshis not to do that either," Yellow Yoshi continued.

"Do we need gas masks, Yellow Yoshi?" Luigi asked. "I heard that volcanoes produce sulfur dioxide, which is bad for your lungs."

"I don't think so. You're probably thinking about the volcanoes from your original world. The air in Mt. Lavalava should be safe to breathe." Yellow Yoshi proceeded to draw a path around Mt. Lavalava's interior. "My theory is that after you go in, there will be a small pool of lava with a couple platforms forming a line. There might be similar pools flowing into a giant one in the middle, which is obviously the one that builds up during an eruption. And that Lava Piranha you mentioned might be hiding in the giant pool."

"I know you're probably asking, 'How are we gonna get out after saving the Star Spirit?'," Yellow Yoshi went on. "There are two options: you can hurry back the way you came, or wall jump up the throat before sliding down to the jungle below."

"What about the treasure?" Dr. Kolorado asked.

"I'll hold on to it while we escape the volcano," Mario said. "I can wall jump and carry items at the same time."

"Well, it looks like you, Luigi, and Dr. Kolorado are ready," Yellow Yoshi stated.

"Do you want to come with us?" Mario offered.

"I'd love to, but... Umm..."

"Oh, don't start with me about an injury you're probably faking," Mario retorted.

"I'm not. The Yoshis need me because I'm their leader. If I go in there and die, who's gonna take over Yoshi's Village?" Yellow Yoshi asked. "None of the other Yoshis look fit enough to be in charge."

"You're right. It makes sense to stay at the village."

"Okay. Are you officially ready?" Yellow Yoshi asked the group.

"Let's do this!" Mario and Luigi exclaimed. Without hesitation, Yellow Yoshi led Mario and friends out of the dining hall and had them wait next to the Inn while he went to call up his cousin Apple.

"Did you hear what he said?" Dr. Kolorado whispered to Mario. "A Yoshi using a chainsaw?"

"They're just as human as we are, Doc," Mario replied. "It's not like they're domestic animals like dogs, for example."

After three minutes, Apple, a Yoshi whose color resembles a Red Delicious apple, approached the group with a giant chainsaw.

"I heard you're going to save a Star Spirit in Mt. Lavalava," Apple remarked. "How many have you gotten so far?"

"Four out of seven," Luigi replied. "I bet by tomorrow night, we're gonna take down Bowser once and for all. It takes time to save all the Star Spirits, you know."

"I understand. Well, follow me to the lava river." Apple proceeded to lead the group through the eastern part of Jade Jungle and stopped at the edge of the lava river.

"All right... Let me see here..." Apple wondered out loud as he started searching for the perfect tree to cut down. He eventually found one with a thick trunk and a dark green leaf canopy; the tree was about twelve feet from the edge.

"Stand back, guys!" Apple started up the chainsaw and tested the blades for a couple seconds before sawing the trunk slowly. Just as the chainsaw went through three-fifths of the trunk, the tree began to tip over.

"TIMBER!" Mario and Luigi cried out. The trunk barely filled the gap above the lava river with the branch tips extending two and a half feet across the stone platform leading into the volcano.

"Wow. That barely made it over," Mario pointed out. "But we'll manage it, Apple."

"I know you will. Me and the Yoshis wish you the best of luck," Apple said before starting off back to Yoshi's Village. "Bye now!"

"Oh, mamma mia," Luigi murmured after taking a deep breath. "We're actually going inside a volcano. I've never done that before."

"I know what it's like. There was this underground volcano in Lethal Lava Land that I had to get a couple Power Stars from back then," Mario said. "Luckily, it didn't erupt. Besides avoiding the lava pools, it should be straight-forward."

Without further ado, Mario led Luigi, Dr. Kolorado, and Watt across the tree trunk slowly and reminded them to look ahead while crossing. They then walked into the first part of Mt. Lavalava, which was a steep slope leading to a long lava pool with several stationary platforms in a line. However, the center platform moved back and forth quickly, which meant the group had to time it right without falling into the lava.

Before jumping to the first platform, a Putrid Piranha rose from the ground and announced, "IDENTIFIED AS...SUPER MARIO BROS! ALERT! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT!"

"Oh God. I have a feeling no one wants us in here," Mario said with shock, having been startled by the Putrid Piranha's loud voice.

"Indeed," Dr. Kolorado agreed. "All adventures are dangerous, so what of it? We must press on toward the glory of the Volcanic Vase!"

Dr. Kolorado was the first to traverse the platforms, but the first one started to sink quickly into the lava, prompting him to leap to the second platform, which didn't move.

"Ruddy heck! What's wrong with that rock? It sank right into the lava!"

"Maybe some of the rocks aren't connected to the bottom," Mario responded. He and Luigi used their Spin Jump technique to reach the second platform before they led Dr. Kolorado to the other end of the lava pool. They had to avoid various Lava Bubbles that floated around some of the platforms; they couldn't fight them with regular attacks.

"I think now would be a good time to find some water powerups," Luigi said. The next area was a deep chamber with a swing seat connected to a zip-line that traveled all the way to the bottom.

"This should be exhilarating!" Dr. Kolorado exclaimed. "Who would've known zip-lines existed in a volcano?" Mario sat in the swing seat while Luigi and Dr. Kolorado clung to the rope hooked to the zip-line cable.

"Three, two, one!" Mario counted down before pushing the seat down the cable with his legs. Everyone screamed with thrill during the ride to the bottom, but as soon as the swing seat abruptly stopped at the end, they fell forward.

"Holy shack... That was the coolest zip-line I've ever been on," Luigi said as everyone stood back up. "I guess this volcano isn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be."

"Only for now," Mario added in. "We haven't gotten to the dangerous part yet." The archway ahead led to another steep slope, which ended in a large room with three lava falls. There was a giant treasure chest in the center behind the middle lava fall, a metal block to the right of the chest, and three Lava Bubbles on the other side of the lava fall.

"How are we able to make it to the treasure chest?" Dr. Kolorado asked. Mario took a moment to study the Lava Bubbles and the lava fall and suddenly threw Dr. Kolorado toward the Lava Bubbles, extinguishing them in the process. Mario and Luigi then used their High Jump technique to rejoin Dr. Kolorado.

"Before you ask, I think that chest holds a stronger hammer," Luigi said, pointing at the chest. "Remember back at Dry Dry Ruins?"

"Yeah. The Ancient Artifact was also in the chest, so what if the vase is in this one too?"

"That's possible," Luigi agreed. After the group approached the chest, Mario opened it and found a red and yellow tungsten hammer with a golden handle. He picked up the hammer and flicked his finger against one of the flat ends; it had a firmer texture than the iron hammer.

"This may be stronger than the iron hammer," Mario said before walking to the metal block, which he destroyed easily. "Wow. This is even better than I thought."

Mario proceeded to toss the iron hammer into the middle lava fall, which burst into flames and slowly sunk into the lava. "Buh-bye, iron hammer!"

"Excellent, Mario!" Dr. Kolorado exclaimed before he, Luigi, and Watt rejoined Mario. "Now, no time to hang about! Onward to glory!"

Just as Mario and friends started up the slope back to the zip-line chamber, the cave began to rumble violently.

"What's going on?" Luigi wondered out loud. After three seconds, he saw a Spiny Tromp rolling toward down the slope. "AAHH! Run for it!"

Instead of running away, Mario took out his Invincibility Star and crushed it in his hand to become invincible. While Luigi, Watt, and Dr. Kolorado ran back into the lava fall room, Mario ran up to the Spiny Tromp and punched it three times before destroying it. His invincibility wore off at the same time, given that it lasted only ten seconds.

"It's gone, guys!" Mario called out, prompting Luigi, Watt, and Dr. Kolorado to meet up with Mario again. "Good thing I had the Star with me, or else I would've ran with you."

The group resumed going back into the zip-line chamber before continuing through the archway in front. The next room was like the one near the volcano's entrance, except there was an elongated central platform with three Fire Bars rotating 360 degrees nonstop.

Having seen similar Fire Bars in past adventures, Mario and Luigi knew not to jump over them, as they would risk setting themselves on fire. So, they had to wait until the Fire Bars were well away from the platform before sprinting. Upon reaching the end of the lava pool, everyone sighed with relief.

"We're getting close, old boys!" Dr. Kolorado declared. "My treasure-hunting senses are going simply mad right now!"

Having traversed through most of Mt. Lavalava's interior, Mario and friends wondered where the Volcanic Vase was, but also anticipated Lava Piranha's entrance. How will they retrieve both the vase and the next Star Spirit?


	31. Vs Lava Piranha

**Chapter 31: Vs. Lava Piranha**

The time is now 2:55 PM. Mario, Luigi, Watt, and Dr. Kolorado were well deep into Mt. Lavalava; potentially near the throat of the volcano. Having traversed the second lava pool with rocky platforms, the group found themselves next to a staircase leading one story further down.

"Dr. Kolorado, where does that staircase go?" Watt asked.

"My intuition tells me that we should go down the stairs and continue forward," Dr. Kolorado answered. "Perhaps the Volcanic Vase is inside a very small room."

Before the group went downstairs, Mario and Luigi spotted two Yellow Question Mark Blocks up against the wall in front.

"I think I know what's in those blocks," Mario said to himself. The Mario Bros hit the blocks from underneath, revealing two Ice Flowers.

"YES! ICE FLOWERS!" Mario exclaimed.

They immediately grabbed the powerups and crushed them with their fists. As a result, their caps and shirts turned cerulean while Mario's overalls turned red and Luigi's overalls turned green.

"This should make it easier to fight Lava Piranha," Luigi said before throwing an ice ball, which immediately melted into water due to the hot temperatures inside. "Water works too."

"How did you know there were Ice Flowers in here?" Dr. Kolorado asked.

"We didn't. It's always random chance when it comes to powerups," Mario replied. "I don't know how they even spawned in the first place."

"And we'll never know the answer," Luigi chimed in. "But that's beside the point. Let's show Lava Piranha what we got!"

Just as Mario and friends made their way downstairs, another Putrid Piranha popped up in front and loudly announced, "SUPER MARIO BROS. STILL APPROACHING! IDENTIFIED AS SEARCHING FOR STAR SPIRIT! CODE RED! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT!"

"That almost burst my eardrums," Mario said; everyone but Watt were covering their ears from the Putrid Piranha's voice.

"I know, right?" Luigi agreed as the group continued onward. "Is it just me, or do these Piranha Plants have computers built into them?"

Because Mario couldn't think of a good answer, all he did was shrug. Five minutes later, the group came across a medium-sized lava pool.

"Why are we stopping here?" Dr. Kolorado asked. "Shouldn't we-" Before he could ask his second question, the ground rumbled moderately and Lava Piranha with two Lava Buds on either side.

"BLECK HYUCK HYUCK YUCK! YOU MADE IT, SUPER MARIO BROS!" Lava Piranha exclaimed with a computerized voice. "YOU GUYS... BAD GUYS! BAD GUYS COME TO STEAL STAR SPIRIT! BAD GUYS WHO COME TO STEAL STAR SPIRITS GET HURT! WE DON'T LET IT HAPPEN! NO!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, we won't let you burn us down!" Dr. Kolorado retorted, walking a few steps ahead of Mario and Luigi.

"THINK AGAIN! WE GET THIS VOLCANO! VOLCANO IS OURS! GOOD DEAL! WE MAKE THINGS HOT FOR YOU! WE BEAT YOU, BAD GUYS!"

"Portalo! (_Bring it!_)" Mario yelled in Italian. The Lava Buds made the first move by spitting two Petit Piranhas each at Mario and Luigi. Because both were in their Ice forms, they were able to extinguish the Petit Piranhas with their ice balls.

"NOT FAIR! YOU CANNOT USE WATER OR ICE! FIGHT NORMALLY!" Lava Piranha said.

"Very well," Mario replied as he activated his Star Power Band's "Chill Out" power. An apparition of Muskular appeared above the Mario Bros. and raised his arms up, causing Lava Piranha and its Lava Buds to turn purple from their original red color.

"Thank you, Muskular!" Luigi thanked Muskular's ghost before turning to the Lava Buds. "Try spitting at us again!"

The Lava Buds didn't hesitate to try and spit the Petit Piranhas again, but all they did was spit a cloud of bluish white air.

"Oh, what's that? You feeling a bit under the weather?" Mario taunted the Lava Buds. Having been angered by Mario's quip, Lava Piranha inhaled deeply and lunged toward Mario with the intention of breathing fire at him. Instead, it blew the same cool cloud as the Lava Buds did. Not only did the cloud hit Mario, but it also hit Luigi, Dr. Kolorado, and Watt.

"Whew," Mario sighed with relief. "Thanks for cooling us down. You might as well serve as an air conditioner instead of a massive campfire." Mario proceeded to snap his fingers, prompting Watt to approach Lava Piranha and the Lava Buds. She then charged herself up and let out an electric shockwave that electrocuted Lava Piranha and the Lava Buds; they fell limp and collapsed back into the lava pool.

"That was fantastic!" Dr. Kolorado said with excitement. "I didn't even need to fight myself!"

"Great job, everyone!" Mario said before starting to high-five everyone. Suddenly, the ground rumbled again. "What the heck is going on...?"

After three seconds, Lava Piranha and its Lava Buds catapulted back out of the lava pool. This time, they were set on fire and Lava Piranha had its tongue stuck out.

"No!" Luigi and Mario cried. "Not again!"

"All right! It's my turn now!" Dr. Kolorado declared. "Here I go!" He charged at Lava Piranha, only for one of the Lava Buds to spit a Petit Piranha at him. The impact caused Dr. Kolorado to be knocked back down the way the group came.

"DOC!" Luigi screamed, having seen him fly backwards.

"NO MORE PLAYING GAMES!" Lava Piranha announced. "YOU DIE NOW!"

"No! YOU die now!" Mario yelled with anger. "You seriously injured my friend!"

Mario and Luigi proceeded to bombard Lava Piranha and the Lava Buds with numerous ice balls, which melted into water, but that was enough to knock them out and turn them blue violet.

"Watt! Hurry before they set themselves on fire again!" Mario ordered Watt. She did her same attack again, but she charged herself up more, causing the shockwave to grow bigger than before. In fact, the shockwave barely hit Lava Piranha and the Lava Buds on time as they were a millisecond away from setting themselves on fire again.

Watt fell in front of Mario's feet, feeling dizzy from her stronger attack. At the same time, Lava Piranha and its Lava Buds fell limp and collapsed into the lava pool again. Mario and Luigi immediately kneeled next to Watt.

"Are you okay, Watt?" Luigi asked with concern.

"Kind of... My head is spinning right now..." Watt replied with a weak voice.

"Did I miss anything?" Mario and Luigi turned to see Dr. Kolorado hurrying toward them.

"You did! We froze Lava Piranha!" Mario answered. "How hurt are you?"

"I think I bruised my back from that first landing. I was so close to falling into this lava pool back there, but I made it."

"Good for you," Mario said. Dr. Kolorado immediately took off toward a cave up ahead. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"There's nothing between us and the vase, eh? Let's go!" Before Dr. Kolorado resumed running, a glowing white orb rose from the blocks and stopped in front of Mario, Luigi, and Watt.

"Get ready, bro," Mario told Luigi. Four seconds later, the orb blew up and imploded to reveal Misstar trapped in a playing card. Luigi didn't hesitate to grab the card and stood still, anticipating the familiar light beam to send the group out of the volcano. However, nothing happened, and the card faded away before Misstar appeared in front.

"Huh? Why are we still here?" Mario wondered out loud.

Before Misstar could answer Mario's question, the whole volcano began rumbling even more than when Lava Piranha was fighting the group. What made it worse was that the ground began to break apart, causing lava to start spreading everywhere. Mario let out a few strong swears, having been startled by the ground splitting up.

"Mario! Luigi! Follow me! We must hurry!" Misstar exclaimed before moving toward the cave. Mario, Luigi, and Watt immediately ran with Misstar and came across Dr. Kolorado standing next to a staircase in the next room.

"What's the matter, old boys?" Dr. Kolorado asked casually; he was oblivious to the volcano going critical.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER?! THIS DAMN VOLCANO'S GONNA BLOW!" Mario yelled. Misstar hovered next to the wall in front and looked at a giant crack near the floor. At the same time, Dr. Kolorado eyeballed Misstar and walked up to examine her.

"Aha! More treasure! Wait... Hold on... It's... Oh! A starfish!"

"What?! How dare you call me a starfish!" Misstar scolded Dr. Kolorado. "No one disrespects-" Suddenly, lava began to seep into the room, prompting Mario and Luigi to hurry up the stairs. Dr. Kolorado hasn't noticed the lava just yet.

"Come on! Don't be so anxious!" Dr. Kolorado said. "This rumbling's-" He stopped mid-sentence because he finally noticed the lava slowly rising. "AAHH! Lava! It's coming near!"

"Yeah, no shtuff!" Mario shouted.

"Mario! Luigi! This volcano is gonna erupt any time now! I feel a slight wind coming from this cracked wall... There could be a room beyond," Misstar instructed the Mario Bros. She was looking through the crack at the same time Dr. Kolorado was freaking out at the lava. "Can you blow up this wall?"

Mario wasted no time and quickly released Bombette for her to blow up the crack before sending her back into his Partner Collection Band and swapping her with Watt.

"Now hurry!" Misstar exclaimed. "The lava is getting higher!" As soon as Mario, Luigi, Watt, and Misstar hurried into the next room, they saw Dr. Kolorado hopping in front of a tall rock pedestal with a treasure chest on top.

"Yes! There it is!" Dr. Kolorado shouted with excitement. "The Volcanic Vase! It's so close...!" He tried his best to reach for the chest to no avail. "By the Stars, I'll risk my life for that treasure!"

Suddenly, Misstar picked up Dr. Kolorado before grabbing Mario, Luigi, and Watt. Just before everyone began to soar up Mt. Lavalava's throat, they passed within inches of the chest. Lucky for Dr. Kolorado, he managed to grab the chest.

"All right! My vase! We did it!" Dr. Kolorado cheered. But Mario, Luigi, and Watt screamed with fear as everyone went higher and faster out of the volcano. They then busted through the caldera and out into the sky. Due to the force of the caldera breaking, the chest slipped out of Dr. Kolorado's hands and flew due north of Yoshi's Village into an isolated area of Jade Jungle; he didn't even know the chest was gone.


	32. The Sneaky Parasol

**Chapter 32: The Sneaky Parasol**

It's 6:05 PM, about three hours after Mario and friends encountered and fought Lava Piranha before barely escaping Mt. Lavalava.

Back up in Peach's castle, as always, she paced around her bedroom in a bored mood.

"I don't know how much longer I can take being isolated in my room," Peach said.

"Well, it's unfortunate that Bowser felt the need to lock you in your room, but at least we found a way to sneak around, which we did great at so far," Twink replied.

"We have, indeed." After a half minute, Peach came up with an idea. "Hey, Twink. I haven't explored the rest of the castle ever since Bowser took it over. How would you feel about sneaking out of here again?"

"Princess Peach! You've gotten so bold! And here I thought you were gentle and delicate..." Twink stated.

"Not anymore. I know Toadsworth taught me to be delicate and cautious, but I'm my own princess. It's like he's an overprotective father to me even though I already have a father, who's half-and-half in my opinion," Peach explained.

"Hmm... All right. I believe you, Princess Peach," Twink responded after briefly thinking it through. "You are your own princess, but you know I'll always help you whenever."

"That's nice, Twink. Thank you," Peach thanked Twink. "Now let's go for it." Without further ado, Peach and Twink went through the secret path and out the office study back into the second floor. By now, there were fewer Koopatrols roaming around probably because Bowser and Kammy punished some for being careless and not doing their jobs right.

"Perfect," Peach whispered. "This should be easier for us." To start off, Peach and Twink made their way to the door next to the right-side staircase leading to the third floor. The room turned out to be a large storage closet with mirrors, tablecloths, boxes, and books scattered all over the place.

"Why are we in here?" Twink asked.

"I don't know. Maybe one of the guards left something lying around." Peach then rummaged through everything in the closet for a minute before discovering a baby blue umbrella with a yellow rim. On the end of the handle was a purple button.

"What umbrella is this?" Peach questioned before examining the handle's button. "And what does this button do?"

"You tell me," Twink responded.

After going back outside, Peach pressed the handle button without thinking, causing a silent burst of magic to spew from the umbrella's tip. She immediately became confused.

"What just happened?" Peach whispered. "Did I just see something shoot out the umbrella?"

"I saw it."

"Should I try it on one of the guards?"

"I don't think so," Twink warned Peach quietly. "They'll see you with their flashlights." But Peach didn't listen and slowly approached one of the Koopatrols before pointing the umbrella's end forward and releasing the magic. She immediately turned into a Koopatrol.

"What...?" Peach murmured in a different voice; she couldn't speak with her natural voice due to her being a Koopatrol.

"Well, hello there," the other Koopatrol said after spotting Peach from the corner of his eye. "You look like you're new here."

"Um... Why, yes. It's been...three days since King Bowser recruited me," Peach said with slight hesitation.

"Are you sure about that?"

"I don't tell lies. You know King Bowser taught me to be truthful."

"Okay. Whatever you say," the Koopatrol gave in before walking away. Instead of walking slowly to avoid detection, Peach in her Koopatrol disguise walked casually down to the first floor with Twink following her.

"Below the mezzanine are the kitchen and dining room," Peach said softly. "I don't think there's anything in those rooms."

"What else is down here?" Twink asked.

"One second." Peach started walking around by herself with Twink hiding near the ceiling. Knowing she already went to the living room, Peach decided to go through the rightmost door leading to the aquarium. She beckoned Twink to follow her into the aquarium.

After closing the door, Peach asked, "How do I change back to normal?" She thought it over for a couple seconds before snapping her fingers, which removed her Koopatrol disguise. She was holding the umbrella again.

"That was neat," Twink remarked, having been intrigued at the umbrella's power. "So is this aquarium."

"I know. There's a whole bunch of fish species we've kept here for so many years," Peach said before showing Twink the giant fish tanks embedded in the walls.

"We got lake trout, yellowtail snappers, shark minnows, tiger catfish, etc." Peach then turned to a water painting with a blue frame.

"And check out this painting. It basically depicts the ocean with air bubbles floating upward."

"Wow," Twink said with awe. "Whoever painted this picture did an amazing job."

"Fun fact: this painting once led to this world called Jolly Roger Bay," Peach went on. "It was made up by Bowser to hide five Power Stars within; those Power Stars along with 75 others were created to keep my castle up and running. I'm glad Bowser didn't take them away this time."

Peach resumed walking around the aquarium, looking for clues as to where the next Star Spirit might be located. She gave up after a couple minutes as the floors were clean and nothing was sticking out the bottom of the fish tanks.

"Oh golly," Twink muttered. "Now where to?"

"Bear with me, Twink. There's still more to discover," Peach reassured Twink. As soon as Peach went back into the foyer, she used her umbrella on another Koopatrol and turned into a Koopatrol. Both went back upstairs to the second floor and tried the last known door, which was located just to the right of the double doors.

Inside was an unmade bed, an open wardrobe, and a dresser with three drawers. The curtains were partially opened. Peach snapped her fingers to go back to normal and looked all around the wardrobe's interior. She suddenly found a note taped to a shirt hanger and took it for herself.

The note read, "Dear King Bowser, if you manage to find this note, I am already on my way to hide these colored seeds that I found in this closet. You mentioned something about a giant brown cloud holding a Star Spirit in some sort of flower field, correct? If that's the case, I scattered and buried the seeds in random places that Mario and Luigi will hopefully never come across. Something tells me these seeds were meant to form a gateway to the flower field, but I could be wrong. I got to go now before Kammy spots me. Talk to you later."

"How do we keep finding stuff like this out in the open when those guards were told to keep them hidden well?" Peach questioned.

"All I can say is the guards are lazy. That's that," Twink answered. "Let's go back to your room now that we got what we needed." Peach and Twink quickly left the guest bedroom and snuck back into the office study before taking the secret path into Peach's bedroom.

"Oh man," Peach sighed with relief. "I feel like I'm getting better at this more and more."

"Do you want me to find Mario and Luigi?" Twink asked.

"I would let you go, but I bet Mario and Luigi are tired right now. They need their sleep, so I would go wait for them at Toad Town just as the sun rises," Peach instructed Twink.

"It's a deal. I guess I'll go back to the Star Road for now." Twink proceeded to leave Peach's bedroom back to the Star Road; Peach walked onto her balcony and sat in her chair to watch the starry sky for a while.

* * *

Rewinding back to 3:12 PM, Misstar carefully set Mario, Luigi, Watt, and Dr. Kolorado next to the tree trunk leading into Mt. Lavalava; Mario and Luigi's Ice forms wore off afterward. The volcano continued to erupt, but at a moderate level; lava was flowing down the sides as a result.

"Are you all okay?" Misstar asked the group.

"We're fine, but it was scary at the end," Mario replied.

"HEY! WHERE'S MY TREASURE?!" Dr. Kolorado uttered loudly, scanning his surroundings for the chest holding the Volcanic Vase. He just realized the chest was gone. "I THOUGHT I HAD IT IN MY HANDS!"

"Sir, listen to yourself!" Misstar told Dr. Kolorado. "No treasure in the world is more valuable than life! Be thankful you escaped! To think this island was put in terrible peril because of the meddling of Bowser's minions. I think it will work out fine. The eruption will subside, and Lavalava Island will be just the same as it used to be."

"But... It... I..." Dr. Kolorado started before sighing with disappointment. "Oh God... I had that chest in my hands... And then I got saved and yelled at by some sort of blooming great starfish..." Dr. Kolorado walked back to Yoshi's Village with his head hung low.

"Doc! The Star Spirit has a point!" Mario called out. "I know you wanted that treasure badly, but you could've died if it weren't for her!" But Dr. Kolorado didn't listen and kept walking.

"Mario, Luigi, I'm so sorry you had to see that," Misstar apologized. "I just never expected someone like your friend to act selfish when there are bigger things to worry about."

"I know. It's sad that he chose to be that way," Mario replied. "But I promise he'll learn." Suddenly, Dr. Kolorado swore at the top of his lungs from far away, causing Mario to chuckle briefly. "Or maybe not."

"Allow me to introduce myself, Mario and Luigi. My name is Misstar," Misstar introduced herself. "I am proud that you've saved five of us Star Spirits now. Only two more remain. As a thank you, let me grant you the power that will help you along."

Misstar raised her arms up, causing Mario and Luigi to sparkle for a few seconds. Mario's Star Power Band's Star Energy refilled to its fullest and was increased by another unit and reached as far as the fifth white button from the center of the band.

"What I've granted you two is the power called 'Full Recovery'," Misstar said. "It's like Eldstar's 'Refresh' power, except that it gives you a brief rush of adrenaline as opposed to just curing any poison or relieving pain inflicted on you. Be aware that 'Full Recovery' costs three units of Star Energy, so take precaution when choosing that power."

"Thank you, Misstar," Mario and Luigi said in unison.

"You're welcome. I have to go back to the Star Road for now, but if you need me, please call on me at any time," Misstar said. "I will be watching you and wishing for your success. I know you'll see Princess Peach soon enough, Mario and Luigi. Have faith." With that, Misstar rose toward the Star Road.

"Where did Dr. Kolorado go?" Watt asked.

"Let's-a go to Yoshi's Village first," Mario replied before leading Luigi and Watt to Yoshi's Village. They saw Yellow Yoshi pacing next to the dining hall and walked up to him.

"Hi, Yellow Yoshi," Mario greeted Yellow Yoshi.

"Oh! Hello again!" Yellow Yoshi answered with delight. "Thank goodness you made it out of there! All of us felt the eruption and went absolutely nuts!"

"It wasn't a bad eruption," Luigi said. "Yes, there was a lot of rumbling, but the lava didn't splatter everywhere."

"Where's Dr. Kolorado?" Mario asked.

"Last I saw, he was screaming really loud and left the village that way." Yellow Yoshi pointed to the village sign.

"Thanks, Yellow Yoshi. We also got to find this Volcanic Vase that was inside the volcano," Mario said.

"Okay. Before you guys go, I want to thank you so much for visiting the village," Yellow Yoshi thanked the Mario Bros. "As soon as I saw you two walk in, I was like, 'My heroes! They came back for me!'"

"We sure did. It's always great to see old friends like you," Mario remarked. "Well, we'll see you soon." Mario hugged Yellow Yoshi before Luigi did the same.

"Goodbye, Yellow Yoshi," Luigi and Watt bid Yellow Yoshi goodbye before they followed Mario back toward the SS _Oceania_.

After the group reentered Jade Jungle, they deviated from the path to try and find the Volcanic Vase. It was hard for them at first, given that there were more Putrid Piranhas and Jungle Fuzzies that lurked around the jungle. Eventually, Mario spotted the chest sitting next to a small pond in between two trees.

"There we go." Mario said while picking up the chest. "Now to take this back to the boat." He led Luigi and Watt back down the path leading down the shoreline and back to the ferry. Just as they were about to board the ferry, Mario and Luigi saw a winged creature flying above them.

"What's that?" Mario asked.

"I don't know. It's probably a giant hawk," Luigi replied. "Maybe it's trying to search for its prey from above."

"I kinda agree." Captain Jonah wasn't waiting by the entrance this time as he was already at the bridge prepping for departure. Mario, Luigi, and Watt found Dr. Kolorado sitting by himself at one of the dining room tables.

"Are you okay, Doc?" Mario asked.

"What does it look like?" Dr. Kolorado replied with a scratchy voice. "I failed the museum director. He's gonna kill me."

"No, he isn't. You know why?" Mario took out the chest and opened it to reveal the Volcanic Vase.

"Oh! Good heavens!" Dr. Kolorado exclaimed, immediately grabbing the vase. "It's the Volcanic Vase! How did you find this?"

"It was deep within the jungle. We almost couldn't find it," Luigi answered.

"Well, congratulations to you, dear men! You are simply the cat's meow!" Dr. Kolorado took out a blonde colored seed.

"Is that a Magical Seed?" Mario asked, having remembered two other seeds he picked up earlier.

"If that's what it's called, yes," Dr. Kolorado replied. "A Bub-ulb gave it to me while I was going back to the boat. I'm sure it's quite a valuable seed, but I'm not interested in it at all." He gave Mario the Magical Seed, which Mario stowed in his overalls pocket.

"Now that I've got the Volcanic Vase, I proclaim this adventure to be a complete success! Two for two! It will be forever recorded in the Museum of Archaeology!" Dr. Kolorado declared.

"Attention, passengers. Welcome aboard the SS _Oceania_," Captain Jonah announced over the speakers. "We hope you had a splendid time at Lavalava Island. We will be departing the island momentarily back to Toad Town Port. Our trip time will be the same as before: three hours and 50 minutes."

"Given it's 3:32 PM now, we will arrive no earlier than 7:22 PM tonight," Captain Jonah went on. "With that, sit tight as we start up the boat and get sailing. Thank you."

Two hours after departure; Mario, Luigi, and Dr. Kolorado had a hearty steak dinner in the dining room. Mario had a bone-in ribeye, Luigi ate a New York strip, and Dr. Kolorado had a lean sirloin. Each had their own sides of mashed potatoes and broccoli.

"Mamma mia," Mario sighed after finishing his meal. "I don't even want dessert. That plate was enough for me."

"Me too," Luigi agreed. Suddenly, the group heard a loud rustling up on the second floor. "What the heck was that?"

"I don't know. Let's-a go see," Mario answered before leading Luigi upstairs. "Dr. Kolorado and Watt, please stay down here."

Up on the second floor, Mario decided to search the quarters while Luigi went into the game room.

"Could there have been a stowaway?" Mario whispered to himself while looking under one of the quarter's beds. "This is getting weird."

Just as Mario turned to leave the room, he saw Jr. Troopa flying in the doorway with two bat wings attached to his eggshell. Jr. Troopa screamed as soon as Mario turned around. Mario screamed louder than Jr. Troopa and fell backwards through the quarter's window, breaking the glass in the process.

"Mario?! What happened?!" Luigi called out, hurrying to where Mario fell out of the quarter; he saw Jr. Troopa snickering with glee.

"Serves you right, redhead," Jr. Troopa said while looking out the window. "Now you'll learn never to mess with me."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Luigi yelled, prompting Jr. Troopa to turn around.

"You! What are you doing in my bedroom?"

"I'm here to shatter your shell for good!" Luigi lunged for Jr. Troopa and grabbed his wings. Jr. Troopa immediately started flying all over the quarter before soaring out the broken window. Luigi screamed with terror while Jr. Troopa struggled to break free of his grasp. "MARIO! HELP!"

"Let go of my wings!" Jr. Troopa shouted. The ferry's foghorn sounded, signaling the boat slowly stopping in the middle of the sea. The foghorn blaring caused the startled Luigi to let go of Jr. Troopa's wings and fall toward the water below.

"All right! Now you're done!" Jr. Troopa declared. "But just for good measure, I'll be back to teach you another lesson! Hehehe!" Jr. Troopa proceeded to fly off to the north.

"MARIO!" Luigi cried, swimming frantically. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" He dove underwater to see if Mario went under for some reason. Suddenly, he barely saw Mario lying on his back on the sea floor and quickly swam to grab him and hurry to the surface. Mario was unconscious and didn't appear to be breathing.

"SOMEONE! THROW A LIFE PRESERVER!" Luigi screamed. Dr. Kolorado barely heard Luigi's cries and hurried to the storage closet at the bar to find two life preservers. Both Mario and Luigi were treading just near the first floor's open balcony.

"Here!" Dr. Kolorado threw the preservers at the Mario Bros; Luigi put one of them over his torso and helped the unconscious Mario in the other preserver. Dr. Kolorado pulled each preserver in one by one, with Mario coming in last.

At this point, Luigi was crying because he thought Mario had drowned. Luigi laid Mario's body face-up and started doing CPR on him.

"Please, bro!" Luigi cried. "Don't die on me!" He was applying five chest compressions and two mouth-to-mouth breaths in a fixed pattern. Watt overheard the commotion from the dining room and hurried over to the balcony. She immediately became concerned for Mario's wellbeing.

"Keep at it, Luigi!" Dr. Kolorado ordered Luigi. "Try harder!"

For the next 45 seconds, Luigi kept doing CPR on Mario, sobbing so much that his tears dripped onto Mario's overalls. Finally, Mario started coughing and hacking up water that was lodged in his windpipe.

"Mario!" Luigi immediately hugged Mario tight, relieved that he was alive again. Even Dr. Kolorado shed a couple tears, but they were tears of joy.

"Luigi..." Mario murmured. "What..."

"Shh. It's okay, bro," Luigi shushed Mario. "You're here with me."

"Last thing...I remembered..." Mario started to say after Luigi let go of him but held his stomach because it was hurting him badly. "Ow... I think...I belly-flopped..."

"You did. Jr. Troopa somehow boarded the boat without-" Before Luigi could explain why Mario fell out the window, Mario angrily shoved Luigi away from him and immediately stood up.

"WHY?! I THOUGHT I KILLED HIM!" Mario yelled.

"Calm down, Mario. You nearly drowned," Dr. Kolorado coaxed Mario. At the same time Mario pushed Luigi, the ferry started up again and resumed its journey.

"WAS THAT THE HAWK FLYING ABOVE US?!"

"I thought that that's what it was!" Luigi protested while standing back up. "Why take your anger out on me when I saved your life?!"

"Don't destroy the dining room!" Watt pleaded.

"I didn't mean to lash out at you!" Mario whined; he started crying out of stress. "I just didn't expect to see him again! Two times is enough!"

"I know, bro. He's probably still fuming from you accidentally trespassing his playground," Luigi said.

"Then he's got to freaking get over it! It's not that big of a deal!"

"Guys, can we just calm down?" Dr. Kolorado butted in. "I don't think yelling at each other's gonna clear things up."

"He's right, Mario. Please tone it down," Luigi said, calming Mario down a small bit.

"Okay..."

Luigi put his arm around Mario and walked with him upstairs to the second floor before settling him in one of the quarters' beds.

"What were you thinking?" Luigi asked quietly. "Don't do this again."

"I'm sorry... I didn't see the window behind me..." Mario moaned. "Can you please leave...?"

"Are you sure? I'm worried about you," Luigi responded.

"Fine. Just stay here."

"No. If you want me to leave, I'll go."

"Don't go... I need you..." Mario started crying again, prompting Luigi to hug him.

"Oh, Mario..." Luigi whispered. "My poor bro..."

Fast forwarding to 7:25 PM, the SS _Oceania_ finally pulled up at Toad Town Port. By now, Mario had fallen asleep, which meant that Luigi had to carry him out of the boat and back to Mario's Pad. He didn't bother saying goodbye to Dr. Kolorado or Captain Jonah because he was fixated on Mario's condition.

As soon as the group entered Mario's Pad, Luigi slowly tucked Mario into the top bunk bed in the bedroom before prepping himself a cup of decaf coffee.

"Is Mario gonna be okay?" Watt asked quietly.

"I hope so," Luigi answered. "He went through a lot today. Luckily, we're gonna start off fresh tomorrow with a big breakfast. I'm sure Mario will be happy to eat his favorite foods after waking up."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**How about that chapter? I know it was a long one, but then again, there was a lot to cover. The next chapter will kick off Flower Fields. I don't think I've asked this before, but feel free to leave a review and favorite the story if desired. I hope you're enjoying the action and drama so far.**


	33. The Dark Flower Fields

**Chapter 33: The Dark Flower Fields**

It's the next morning at 7:30 AM. The sun shining through Mario's bedroom window blinds slowly woke him up.

"Ugh... My eyes..." Mario groaned while sitting himself up. He was still in his red shirt and blue overalls, but his cap, gloves, and shoes were taken off by Luigi before he was tucked into bed.

"How am I in my bed...?"

Over in the kitchen, Luigi overheard Mario waking up, but didn't want to call out to him because it would make him irritated. Mario walked into the kitchen about two minutes later. For today, Luigi was wearing his regular green cap along with a blue shirt and green overalls.

"Hi, Mario. How was your sleep?" Luigi asked Mario, who sat down at the dining table. Luigi was in the middle of making Mario's breakfast.

"It was bland," Mario replied. "I mean, I don't think I dreamt of anything at all."

"Yeah. It happens to me sometimes."

"What are you making?" Mario asked.

"Your favorite ham and cheese omelet with mixed cheddar on top," Luigi answered with a smile.

"Thanks, bro."

"Good morning, Mario," Watt said after flying in from the living room. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"How did I end up in my bed? Wasn't I in the ferry last night?"

"You completely dozed off, so I had to carry you home and tuck you in," Luigi replied.

"Just like what Mother did when I was little," Mario added in.

"Yeah. No matter how old we are, I'll do anything for my big brother." In addition to his ham and cheese omelet, Mario had his daily cup of coffee and buttered toast. Luigi ate the same thing, except his omelet had red bell peppers and Colby-Jack cheese.

After breakfast, Mario put on a blue shirt with red overalls while keeping his red cap.

"I wonder what Twink will tell us next," Mario said as he, Luigi, and Watt made their way to the Warp Pipe that took them to Toad Town. Twink was hovering in front of the pipe just like he was told to by Peach.

"Good morning, Mario and Luigi!" Twink greeted the Mario Bros.

"Good morning, Twink," the Mario Bros. returned the greeting.

"To tell you where the next Star Spirit is at, me and Princess Peach found this little note in the castle's guest bedroom that mentioned a giant brown cloud in a distant flower field."

"How far away is it?" Mario asked.

"Pretty far. And that's why there's a special gateway that leads to the field. To open the gateway, you must seek some colored seeds that Bowser's gang hid at different parts of the world," Twink explained.

"Are you talking about the three Magical Seeds we picked up recently?" Luigi questioned.

"I believe that was what the note mentioned," Twink replied. "You should take those seeds and find some sort of nearby garden to plant them. Hopefully, the gateway appears in front."

"Thanks again, Twink," Mario thanked Twink.

"No problem. Well, I'm gonna go back to Princess Peach's castle. As I said before, Princess Peach and I know you can do it. Just a couple more Star Spirits and you'll be on your way to save the princess." Without hesitation, Twink flew back up to Peach's castle before the group went east down Toad Town.

"I just thought of something," Mario said after a few seconds of brainstorming. "Remember when we kicked out one of the Shy Guys from this flower garden near Merlon's place?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Luigi asked.

"Maybe the gardener knows about the gateway to the flower field." It took Mario and friends ten minutes to arrive at Mindy T.'s garden. She was standing next to the left side of the garden.

"Hello, ma'am. You having a nice morning?" Mario greeted Mindy.

"Mario! Great to see you again!" Mindy exclaimed. "I got to thank you again for saving my garden from those Shy Guys yesterday. These flowers are really delicate."

"I'm sure they are. Now, do you know anything about a distant flower field with a gateway leading to it?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. You've encountered Bub-ulbs before, right?"

"We've seen a couple, and they gave us Magical Seeds," Luigi answered. "Wait a second... I'll be right back. The seeds are still at our house." Luigi hurried back to Mario's Pad to get the Magical Seeds while Mindy continued to talk to Mario and Watt about the flower field.

"You see, Bub-ulbs come from Flower Fields, which is the place you were asking about. They say that the flowers in Flower Fields are in trouble! To get to Flower Fields, you need three Magical Seeds that you appear to have in your possession. Once you give them to me, I'll plant them in a jiffy and a door should appear in the archway behind me."

Five minutes later, Luigi came back with the Magical Seeds and handed them to Mindy, who planted them as quick as possible. The flowers produced from the seeds only took one minute to bloom entirely. After all the seeds were planted, a bright white glow slowly flashed within the archway and spawned a wooden door in seven seconds.

"Voila!" Mindy declared. "You should be able to go to Flower Fields from here. Mario and Luigi, Flower Fields needs your aid. Please help them."

"All right-y. Wish us luck, ma'am," Mario bid Mindy goodbye before the group entered Flower Fields through the wooden door. They came out the other end into a giant green field with two long patches of yellow and pink flowers on the west and east ends. In the middle was a giant oak tree with two big eyes near the blue green canopy. The door leading back to Toad Town served as the tree's mouth.

"What ho...? Now who might that be?" the tree wondered out loud, having heard Mario and friends enter Flower Fields. The elderly voice caught their attention and they looked up at the tree. "Hohohoho! Up here, fellows!"

"Hi...Mr. Tree..." Mario said with hesitation.

"You're close, son. My name's Wise Wisterwood. I am the oldest tree here in Flower Fields, the land of trees, flowers, grasses, and plants. And you must be Mario along with your brother Luigi. I've heard a lot about you two."

"Such as us trying to save the Star Spirits?" Luigi asked.

"Absolutely. If that is true, then your arrival means a Star Spirit is here in our land. I would help you in your quest, but alas, I cannot right now. Flower Fields is in trouble," Wise Wisterwood said.

"A creature named Huff N. Puff and his followers invaded our fair land not long ago. These creatures brought clouds to our sunny sky. It has been dark and cloudy ever since. The sun doesn't even bother to rise in the sky anymore. We are all weak and fading..."

After Wise Wisterwood finished his explanation, Mario, Luigi, and Watt gazed at the cloudy skies. The clouds looked like they were gonna pour rain on the flowers below.

"That's not good at all. And I thought Flower Fields was meant to be sunny with clear skies," Mario said.

"It was until now," Wise Wisterwood said. "Hmm... Oh! I remember something! The rumor is that Huff N. Puff is holding somebody captive, which might be the Star Spirit that you're searching for! It would make the wishes of Flower Fields come true if you defeated the wicked Huff N. Puff."

"That's why we're here, Mr. Wisterwood," Luigi stated.

"Don't think it'll be an easy task. Huff N. Puff is up in the sky, on what we call the Cloudy Climb. There's no way up there now. Well... You might be able to reach it if you find a Magical Bean or something that grows high..."

"You mean a giant beanstalk?" Watt questioned.

"Yes. That should be what the Magical Bean should turn into," Wise Wisterwood replied before thinking things over. "Wait a minute... I think there IS a flower that has a Magical Bean...somewhere. Umm... I believe... Her name is Petunia. Perhaps she is off to the east. It wouldn't hurt to go visit her and ask about it. The other flowers and Bub-ulbs around here might have some useful information as well. I'd say talk to everyone!"

"Thanks, Mr. Wisterwood," Mario thanked Wise Wisterwood.

"You're welcome, son. Go on now, fellows, for time must not be wasted."

Mario and friends immediately went to the east en route to Petunia's location. Will the Magical Bean be enough to grow the beanstalk, or will there be more than just the bean itself?


	34. Beanstalk Ingredients

**Chapter 34: Beanstalk Ingredients**

As Mario and friends went due east down Flower Fields, they passed a row of three trees with multi-colored leaves.

"Could these trees have fruit on them?" Mario asked himself. He took out his hammer and struck the leftmost tree, dropping two Red Berries. Mario and Luigi each took one Red Berry and consumed it.

"Hmm... Is it just me, or does it taste like a cherry?" Luigi asked after savoring the berry's taste.

"It kinda does. These berries didn't look like cherries, though." After 15 minutes, the group saw a flower with purple petals, a yellowish white face, and an emerald colored stem and leaves. She was frowning and looking down at the grass.

"Hello. Are you Petunia?" Mario asked the flower.

"Yes. It's me," Petunia answered with a sad tone of voice.

"What's the matter?" Luigi questioned.

"It's a sad tale you need to listen to. Ever since the sun went away, I've begun to droop... I have no energy at all. Without the sun, it just seems like...the whole world...is sad..." Petunia began to tear up, making the group feel sorry for her.

"Now these...Monty Moles dig...into the ground...and bite my roots! Oh, woe is me!" Petunia finally started sobbing as four green Monty Moles began popping up and down all over the place.

Mario and Watt hurried as quick as they could and hammered and electrocuted all four Monty Moles; it took a little more than a minute because the Monty Moles had fast reflexes.

After the Monty Moles were taken care of, Mario walked up to Petunia and stroked her stem.

"Are you okay, Petunia?" Mario asked softly.

"Sort of, but...it'll take time...before I've calmed down," Petunia sniffled.

"One quick question before we go: Mr. Wisterwood said that you had a Magical Bean with you, right?"

"Umm... Yes. Just give me a second," Petunia answered before uprooting a green bean that resembled a typical lima bean. "I'll give you this to show how grateful I am." Mario took the Magical Bean from Petunia and stowed it in his overalls pocket.

"Thank you, Petunia," Luigi thanked Petunia.

Just before the group could turn around and go back the way they came, Petunia butted in, "Wait! About that Magical Bean I gave you... You shouldn't plant it."

"Why not?" Luigi asked.

"Because as a seed, it will always enjoy freedom. After it's planted and it sprouts up, it won't ever be able to move again. Don't you think that's sad?"

"Yeah. It does sound sad to me," Mario agreed.

"I suggest you do not plant it with, for instance, Fertile Soil and Miracle Water," Petunia pleaded calmly. "I don't want to think about a sprout growing out of my cute little seed."

"But we need the bean and that soil and water to make a giant beanstalk and fight Huff N. Puff up in the sky," Luigi said.

"You mean the evildoer that made the sun go away?"

"Yes. Who else would it be?" Mario asked.

"All right. I respect your wishes," Petunia said before the group walked back west. "Good luck to you guys."

After arriving at the section with Wise Wisterwood, Mario looked at the different paths leading to five other areas in Flower Fields and couldn't decide where to go next.

"How about we go clockwise?" Luigi offered. "I think that's the easy way to explore these fields."

Mario immediately took Luigi's advice and led him and Watt to the southeast. This time, there was a flock of Crazee Dayzees walking up and down the pathway.

"What are those flowers?" Mario asked, pointing to the Crazee Dayzees. "I've never seen them before."

"Me neither," Luigi replied. "They do look pretty, though." Thinking the Crazee Dayzees wouldn't hurt them, Mario and friends casually walked forward and the Crazee Dayzees started singing, having noticed the group approaching them.

"Wow. I didn't know these flowers were-" Mario started to say before he suddenly grabbed his head in pain; Luigi did the same a couple seconds later. "Aggh! What's happening to my head?!"

"I don't know! My brain is pounding!" Luigi answered with agony. Both hurried down the path to not get affected by the Crazee Dayzees' singing even more.

"I hope it wasn't them singing," Mario said. "How could their voices mess with one's brain?"

"They're just strange flowers, bro." The group resumed their trek southeast until they came across a yellow lily; her nose resembled a wooden stick and she was stationed in front of a crystallized tree.

"Good morning, boys," the flower introduced herself. "My name's Posie."

"Hello, Posie," Mario returned the greeting before looking at the tree. "That's a nice tree right there."

"Thank you. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in all the world?" Posie asked.

"Not just flowers, Posie. I've seen cloud patterns, star constellations, and beach shores to name a few."

"What's with your mouth?" Luigi pointed out, having mistaken Posie's nose for a mouth.

"Oh, how rude of you! This is my nose!" Posie scolded Luigi.

"Sorry. I didn't know."

"Anyway, boys, to tell you about my nose, it was this Fertile Soil that made it grow so long. I happen to like it! Heehee..." Posie explained.

"So, you're pulling a '_Pinocchio_', but you don't lie, right?" Mario asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but your nose looks pretty nice too." Mario's face blushed at Posie's comment. "It could stand to be a little bit longer, so why don't you take this Fertile Soil with you?"

Posie scooped up some of the Fertile Soil next to her stem and offered it to Mario, but Luigi took the soil as Mario couldn't pay attention.

"Your nose will be perfect soon! Heeheehee..." Posie giggled.

"Okay... I guess we'll go now..." Mario murmured, having been creeped out by Posie talking about his nose.

By the time the group evaded the Crazee Dayzees and made it back to the central section, they didn't waste time and started down the southwest path.

"I'm sorry Posie made fun of your nose," Luigi told Mario. "I agree that it was creepy."

"Don't mention it again."

Along the way, Mario and friends spotted two trees with yellow green leaves on their right. Mario struck the leftmost tree, which dropped two Yellow Berries.

After Mario and Luigi ate their respective berry, Mario commented, "It's definitely a yellow grape. Same taste and texture." Another 10 minutes passed before Mario and friends saw a pink water lily sitting in the center of an empty spring. She looked sad at first sight.

"Aww... The poor flower..." Mario said with sympathy before the water lily spoke up.

"Oh, how horrible! The spring went dry!" the flower moaned. "What a tragedy... Oh! This can't happen to me! No, it can't! Not to Lily!"

"Very fitting name," Luigi whispered.

"Somebody! The horrible thing that rides the clouds...took our precious Water Stone!" Lily continued. "Water flows from that magical Water Stone... Without it, the spring will never recover... Oh! And I'll wither up if I can't float on the water! I'll be crushed by my own weight and wither... Poor Lily! Oh no! Don't give up, Lily! Perhaps a handsome prince will arrive and help you soon...!"

During Lily's sad speech, Mario walked up to her before laying his hand on Lily's back. Luigi and Watt stood next to spring's ledge.

"It's okay, Lily. Don't be sad," Mario coaxed Lily, who immediately turned to see him.

"A prince... Well, he actually looks more like a plumber, but beggars can't be choosers!" Lily said to herself before introducing herself. "Hello, prince. I'm Lily, a beautiful and fragile flower who lives in this spring."

"I'm Mario. Is there anything I can do to make you happy again?" Mario offered.

"Yes. Could you please get my Water Stone back from that horrible cloud creature?"

"Absolutely. I'd hate to see you wither into nothing," Mario replied.

"Oh, Mario! You're a dream come true! Thank you so much!" Lily thanked Mario with enthusiasm. "Please find it quickly!"

After rejoining Luigi and Watt, Mario said, "You heard Lily. Let's see where the Water Stone is at." Mario and friends headed back toward the central section and started to the west before stopping just short of a group of Ruff Puffs.

"I don't like the clouds' faces," Luigi said while staring at the Ruff Puffs' red orange eyes. Suddenly, Mario saw two Yellow Exclamation Point Blocks to his right.

"This better be a good powerup," Mario said before he and Luigi hit the blocks from underneath. Two Cloud Nines emerged from the blocks; the Cloud Nine resembled a white, airy cloud with black eyes and a black smile.

"That's new," Mario commented. "Maybe we could use these clouds to float past the brown ones." As soon as Mario and Luigi touched their respective Cloud Nines, they each turned into a bigger version of the powerup's original size. In addition, their eyes and smiles turned red and green.

Mario and Luigi floated underneath the Ruff Puffs with ease while Watt flew over them. Inside his Cloud Nine, Mario clapped his hands once to turn back to normal before Luigi did the same.

"I wonder if there are other cloud powerups in this world," Luigi said. "Maybe in the form of a flower or something." Eventually, the group approached a brown gazebo covered with green vines; there was a big hedge behind the gazebo and bushes with red and yellow flowers formed a big circle around it. To top it off, a dark pink rose with a thorny stem and leaves sat in the middle of the gazebo.

"Oh, hello," the rose greeted the group. "It seems like ages since I last saw a visitor here. I'm Rosie, a Rose Spirit. I'm ever so glad to meet you. Here I am in full bloom, and there's nobody to look at me. Please, admire me all you like. Breathtaking, aren't I? Aren't I just incredible?"

"Yeah. I love your appearance," Mario answered with a smile. "You got dark pink petals spread out evenly, a small yellow face with cute black eyes, and green limbs with a small number of thorns. Just the way I'd see a rose." In response, Rosie lightly hugged Mario.

"Oh, thank you. You're so honest and charming. And underneath that scruffy mustache, I bet you're handsome." After Rosie let go of Mario, she briefly studied Luigi. "That goes for you too despite your round mustache."

"Thanks, Rosie," Luigi thanked Rosie.

"You know what? Because I like you both, I'll show you this." Rosie took out a blue gem that twinkled in the sun; Mario and Luigi became mesmerized by the gem. "Isn't this stone beautiful? I found it just the other day. Some strange creatures on clouds dropped it. I couldn't resist its gorgeous glitter, so I made it mine. I could look at it all day..."

"That's the Water Stone," Mario said. "We need that to help Lily because she's in trouble without it."

"Oh, how very sad," Rosie replied. "Well, too bad. It can't be helped. This stone is mine now, you see?"

"Listen to yourself, Rosie," Luigi protested calmly. "Lily will wither up without the stone. Selfishness won't solve anything."

"Huh... How sad... Really... How very pitiful..." Rosie murmured with sarcasm. "As hard as it is to believe, that Lily sometimes acts like she's prettier than I am. She's dumb, but she's not evil. And if she's gone, there'll be no flowers to set off my beauty."

"That's not true. All flowers are just as pretty as each other," Mario said.

"Hmm... You make a good point... Let's see..." Rosie wondered out loud. "How about this: if you bring me something more beautiful than this stone, I'll think about trading it."

"All right-y. I'll go find a prettier item by myself," Mario told Luigi. "Wait here with Watt."

As soon as Mario ran off back toward the east, Luigi sat to the right of Rosie, waiting patiently for the time being.

"I wonder what the man in red will find for me," Rosie said.

"Maybe a shinier stone like a ruby," Luigi replied. "We'll see soon." 25 minutes later, Mario hurried back to the gazebo holding a Crystal Berry.

"Here we go!" Mario huffed, out of breath from running hard. "A Crystal Berry."

"Oh, how pretty! I love it!" Rosie gasped with joy; she immediately took the Crystal Berry. "Where did you find the Crystal Berry?"

"Your friend Posie was kind enough to pick a couple of them from her crystal tree," Mario said. "She feels for Lily just like you."

"I see. Well, you'd better hurry back and give this stone to Lily." Rosie handed Mario the Water Stone. "I'm sorry I was selfish toward you two."

"No worries, Rosie," Mario responded. "I knew you were nice all along." Rosie gave Mario another hug before the group began to walk east again.

"Make sure Lily knows that she was saved because of me!" Rosie called out.

Because Mario and Luigi couldn't sneak past the Ruff Puffs this time around, they had no choice but to fend them off using Mario's hammer and Watt's electric attacks. Eventually, Mario and friends made their way back to Lily's spring.

Having noticed Mario holding the Water Stone, Lily exclaimed, "Oh, it's the Water Stone! Quick! Put it in that hole next to me!" Mario immediately placed the Water Stone in a hole in the center of the spring and hopped out of the spring, which filled itself up to the brim with clear water.

"Oh, it's water! Sweet water! The spring is full of water. I'm floating again... Oh, this is paradise... Thank you so very much!" Lily thanked the group. "I'll give you this watering can in return. Here you are!"

Lily took out a small orange watering can and gave it to Mario, who stowed it in his overalls pocket.

"This is the most nourishing Miracle Water around!" Lily explained happily. "It's water with a little Lily extract! If you use this Miracle Water on any plant, it'll grow like gangbusters!" Suddenly, Lily frowned, having realized something wrong. "Uh...but not right now. Because there's no sun..."

"Don't worry, Lily," Luigi reassured Luigi. "We'll find a way to make the sun rise again."

"Oh, yes! Great idea! You should go see about getting the sun back into the sky," Lily responded. "A resourceful team like you must have some idea about how to get the sun back up again! I bet you'll do it! You saved me, after all!"

"All right-y. Have a lovely day, Lily," Mario bid Lily goodbye before leading Luigi and Watt northeast back to the central section. All they had left to explore were the northwest and northeast sections. What will they find to dissipate the dark clouds and make the sun rise again?

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**The Cloud Nine powerup is derived from one of Spike's battle moves in the original game, which makes it more likely for enemies to miss Mario when attacking him.**


	35. Meet Spike

**Chapter 35: Meet Spike**

The time is now 10:20 AM. At this point; Mario, Luigi, and Watt had explored most of Flower Fields and continued to search for whatever is casting the dark clouds in the sky.

"I hope there's another berry tree nearby," Luigi said. "To be honest, the fruit here is so tasty." True to Luigi's word, the group came across two trees with blue green leaves. Mario struck the rightmost tree with his hammer, dropping two Blue Berries.

"Yup. This is a blueberry. Like, an ACTUAL blueberry," Mario remarked after he and Luigi ate their berries. After another 8 minutes, the group arrived at a tan-colored stone tower with red thorned vines surrounding the base.

"I think I know what's on the roof," Mario said before beckoning Luigi and Watt to go inside the tower and climb a spiral staircase to the roof, on which the sun hovered a couple feet above. The sun had its eyes closed and it was dark orange colored.

"Hi, sun," Mario greeted the sun, who slowly opened its eyes.

"Hey... Hello. I never thought anybody would come all the way up here. I'm the sun," the sun introduced itself before realizing what it had become. "No... That's not entirely true. I should say, I WAS the sun. The clouds that came out of the Puff-Puff Machine that Huff N. Puff built... Those clouds keep me from climbing into the sky."

"The Puff-Puff Machine?" Luigi asked.

"Yes. And that makes me a complete failure as a sun," the sun replied. "All of those flowers and plants in Flower Fields are suffering..."

"Do you know where the Puff-Puff Machine is, sun?" Mario questioned.

"Hmm... I think it's east of here. The clouds seem to come from over there."

"If that's the case, all me and my brother need to do is destroy that machine and everything will clear up. No pun intended," Luigi said.

"I was about to say not to strain yourself and go home, but you do look fit enough to break the Puff-Puff Machine."

"Thanks. I guarantee you that you'll be up in the sky in no time," Mario promised the sun.

"Very good. I hope you succeed in your task," the sun stated before Mario and friends went back down the tower to ground level.

However, moments after they left the tower's base, a male teen voice called out, "Hey hey hey! Hold up! Wait, guys!" Within a few seconds, a Lakitu with sunglasses and a green mohawk flew in front of the group.

"Hey there. I don't think we've ever met, have we? I mean, you're Mario and Luigi, right?" the Lakitu asked.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Mario responded.

"My name is Lakilester... Er, no, it's Isaac... No, um... Oh, yeah... Spike. Yeah yeah, I'm Spike... Well, whatever. Never mind."

"It's okay. We'll call you Spike," Luigi reassured Spike.

"Look, I don't have a problem with you personally, but I've got orders from Huff N. Puff," Spike said. "I'm sorry, but I have to give you a bit of a beat down."

"What? We just met you!" Watt protested before Spike held up a Spiny Egg.

"Like I said, guys-"

"Wait! Hold everything!" Mario stopped Spike from throwing the Spiny Egg. "We can talk about this!"

"I don't have time for this, Mario," Spike said before he tried to throw the egg again.

"No! Put the Spiny down!"

"I'm not supposed-"

"NOW!" Mario roared really loud, causing Spike to flinch; the smiling cloud he was sitting on became scared. Spike slowly put the Spiny Egg back.

"Fine. What is it?" Spike asked.

"First off, don't say a word. I'm the one who has the floor," Mario began. "You said you're a follower of Huff N. Puff?" Spike nodded in response. "Do you even understand why he made Flower Fields really dreary? Because he hates the beautiful nature! Because that's what he thinks is the right choice! And you agree with that?"

"How could someone like you rather enjoy sad and dark days when there's nothing to be upset about?" Mario continued. "You don't look like an evil Lakitu to me. Your sunglasses and mohawk, they tell me you're capable of helping those around you like me and Luigi are doing right now. You know what else? Huff N. Puff's probably doing this to impress Bowser and his minions! Not to mention him helping capture the seven Star Spirits! Speaking of which, we were told that one of the Star Spirits is being held captive up there." Mario pointed to the clouds above.

"But Huff N. Puff-" Spike started to say.

"SHUT UP!" Mario yelled. "SHUT UP! Nothing from you!" Mario took a deep breath. "You should be aware that not only did Bowser capture the Star Spirits, but he also stole the Star Rod: the Star Road's sacred treasure that grants everybody's wishes whether they're good or evil. You know what the flowers' wishes are? To bask in the sunlight and grow up to be pretty living things. Yes. The flowers are human like us. They deserve to be happy and enjoy life. Not to be sad and dread the worst."

During Mario's talk, Spike slowly lowered his head and teared up, having realized his mistakes. But that made Mario angry again.

"Hey! Look at me! There's no pouting while I'm talking!" Mario ordered Spike. "You're making the worst mistake of your life, Spike! I swear to God, you'll be regretting this at the wrong time! Who even are you to not let anyone get their wishes granted?! Did your parents raise you this way?! Huh?! DID THEY?!"

"No..." Spike muttered. "They told me to be a good son..."

"Then why did you side with Huff N. Puff?" Mario asked.

"Because he promised me everything... He offered me to be a part of something big, but all I've been doing is picking pointless fights... This isn't what I wanted in life..." Spike explained.

"Oh, so NOW you realize you screwed up?"

"I did... I shouldn't have ignored my girlfriend's pleas when I was given that offer..."

"If you're gonna apologize now, it's not gonna make things better," Mario stated. "You have to prove to us that you'll turn over a new leaf. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. I must admit there's a certain manly charm to having such a noble purpose of granting everyone's wishes," Spike said, having calmed down.

"Can I butt in?" Luigi asked while stepping in front of Spike. "If we work together to take back the Star Rod and defeat Bowser, me and Mario will give you a chance to wish for world peace. I'm sorry Mario got angry with you, but he does have a point." While Luigi offered Spike to help out, Mario sent Watt into his Partner Collection Band.

"All right. I promise I'll make a change," Spike said. "How about I be the one to destroy the Puff-Puff Machine? You don't have to do it with me."

"That's too much for you, Spike," Luigi responded. "We'll help you destroy the machine. Just stay positive for everyone. Not just me and Mario."

"Okay. Are we cool, guys?"

"We're good," Luigi replied before turning to Mario. "How about you, bro?"

"Sure."

"Ready, Spike?" Luigi asked.

"Let's go," Spike declared. And so, Mario walked ahead, prompting Luigi and Spike to follow him back to the central section; they were one step closer to restoring Flower Fields to its original glory.


	36. Clearing the Skies

**Chapter 36: Clearing the Skies**

While Mario and friends passed through the central section to head northeast, all the Bub-ulbs and flowers eyeballed Spike and wondered why he was accompanying Mario and Luigi. They always assumed that Lakitus were their worst enemies, given that they've been assisting Huff N. Puff with darkening Flower Fields.

"I feel a bit uncomfortable," Spike said while looking everyone staring at him. "I mean, look at the Bub-ulbs. They don't think I'm trustworthy."

"Don't worry about them," Luigi reassured Spike. "By the time we get rid of the clouds, you'll no doubt be given the Bub-ulbs' respect." Along the way, the group encountered multiple Lakitus that frowned with anger upon seeing Spike.

"Spike?! What have you done?!" one of the Lakitus exclaimed.

"Are you out of your mind?!" another Lakitu questioned.

"I did nothing wrong. I've been innocent for-" Spike started to explain before the Lakitus began bombarding him with Spiny Eggs. Luckily, Mario and Luigi helped Spike take down the Lakitus, knowing that he can't battle anyone by himself.

"Thanks, guys," Spike thanked the Mario Bros. "That'll teach my former partners to not mess with me." With nothing else in their way, the group continued down the path for 15 minutes before stopping short of the Puff-Puff Machine guarded by three Lakitus and a Yellow Magikoopa. The Puff-Puff Machine was spewing dark smoke out of its pipe into the sky.

"Let's go! Come on!" the Magikoopa ordered the Lakitus. "We need more clouds! I wanna see this land covered! We'll make them fear the power of my Puff-Puff Machine! Haha!"

"I never knew a Magikoopa would've built that machine," Mario whispered. "I thought it was those brown clouds back there."

"Let me go ahead," Spike said softly. "I'll try to distract those Lakitus while you sneak up from behind and hammer away." Spike floated slowly toward the back of the machine and hid himself for half a minute. He then appeared from the other side and got the Lakitus' and the Magikoopa's attention. "Yo!"

"Spike! What are you doing here?" the Magikoopa asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just seeing how cool this machine is. I mean, look at the dials and gauges showing how the clouds are made."

"What is he saying?" one of the Lakitus whispered to another. "I'm feeling suspicious."

"You're not up to something, are you?" the Magikoopa asked.

"No. I thought I'd check in with my friends, see how much progress has been made." While Spike was talking with the Magikoopa and his Lakitu partners, Mario and Luigi crept up silently to the back of the Puff-Puff Machine. Mario got his hammer out, ready to pound the machine to bits.

"All right. Whatever. You want to do us a favor?"

"I'll do anything," Spike replied. "Actually, I was thinking about a bigger favor than you could ever think of."

As soon as Spike lied to help the Magikoopa and his Lakitus, Mario struck the Puff-Puff Machine with his hammer, causing warning alarms to go off.

"What the heck is that?!" one of the Lakitus demanded, having heard the alarms and Mario beating the machine. "Who's hitting the machine back there?!"

"Nobody. Must be some sort of glitch or something," Spike lied. "Don't worry. It'll return to normal." Suddenly, Luigi quickly lunged at the Magikoopa and kicked him so hard that he flew off to the south.

"It's Greenie!" the Lakitus cried. "Get him!" As Mario continued to break the Puff-Puff Machine, Spike and Luigi battled the Lakitus. Spike threw as many Spiny Eggs as possible to immobilize the Lakitus before Luigi hurtled them to oblivion.

By the time all the Lakitus were defeated, the Puff-Puff Machine was already in large bits and pieces, unable to function.

"All right-y," Mario sighed. "Now let's see how Flower Fields will be lit up again." Mario, Luigi, and Spike stood in a horizontal line, anticipating what'll happen next. Within five minutes, all the dark clouds dissipated, revealing the blue skies and the sun shining above.

* * *

Just earlier, the sun saw the clouds fading and declared, "Wow! The clouds are gone! It's time for a little sunshine!" The sun quickly rose into the sky without hesitation.

* * *

In the meantime, all the flowers and Bub-ulbs gasped with awe and cheered shortly thereafter. "Oh, precious sunlight! Hohoho! Mario and Luigi did it! They saved Flower Fields!" Wise Wisterwood called out with joy.

* * *

At Petunia's place, she felt the sun warming her up again and squealed, "It's the sun, it's the sun! Oh, that heat feels so good! Maybe being stuck in one place isn't so bad after all. I feel full of life again!"

* * *

Posie also felt the sun's warmth and cheered, "Ohhh, yes! The sun! Yay! Yippee! The sun's back!" Suddenly, she realized something else. "Oops... Teeheehee! Losing control like that... It's so unlike me..."

* * *

At Lily's spring, she noticed the sun making the water sparkle here and there. "Ah, the bright rays of the sun... Once again, I can gaze at the sparkles of light on the water..."

* * *

Finally, at Rosie's gazebo, she looked up at the sky and said, "Ohh, it's about time. The sun! Flower Fields is saved! And, of course, the sun can only add to my beauty..." In addition, Rosie pictured Mario's head in the sky. "Thank you, man in red. You're my one and only saving grace."

* * *

Back at where the Puff-Puff Machine was destroyed, Mario and friends stared at the sky clearing up.

"Wow. That's so pretty." "I know, right? Helping folks feels good! I could get used to this, Luigi," Luigi and Spike said, respectively. Suddenly, Luigi saw Mario tearing up and his lips quivering.

"Mario? What's wrong?" Luigi asked with concern.

"I-It's b-beautiful..." Mario trembled, having been overwhelmed by Flower Fields going back to normal. Not to mention the flowers blooming vibrantly at the same time the sun reappeared. Seconds later, a bright rainbow faded into view, causing Mario to cry harder. He dropped to his knees and sobbed uncontrollably.

"I've never seen someone get so emotional at the sight of blooming flowers," Spike said while Luigi kneeled next to Mario.

"It's okay, bro," Luigi coaxed Mario. "I know all the beauty got you worked up." But Mario couldn't acknowledge Luigi as he blocked out everything around him while crying. "Oh, Mario..." Luigi went and hugged Mario.

"Looks like this is gonna take a while," Spike said to himself after seeing Luigi comforting Mario; he decided to stare at the flowers and the rainbow for the time being.


	37. Vs Huff N Puff

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**74 reviews and over 3,700 views as of this writing. Wow. This goes to show how much I've poured my heart into this story. Thank you so much for your support. It means a lot to me as a part-time FanFiction writer.**

* * *

**Chapter 37: Vs. Huff N. Puff**

It's now 11:38 AM. Mario, Luigi, and Spike were already on their way back to the central section of Flower Fields, which had just been restored to its old self thanks to the three of them.

"I'm still at a loss for words right now," Mario said. His eyes were red and puffy from his breakdown immediately when the sky cleared up. "Nothing else can describe what I was going though."

As the group neared Wise Wisterwood, they heard all the Bub-ulbs and flowers cheering for them, mainly chanting Mario and Luigi's names. Spike became concerned for a moment.

"I knew they weren't gonna cheer for me," Spike said softly. "They'll never trust me whether I've done good or not."

"Don't say that, Spike," Mario replied. "You know the Bub-ulbs will love you."

"Mario and Luigi! Come over in front!" Wise Wisterwood exclaimed, having heard the group come in from the northeast. They promptly stood in front of him while the cheering died down.

"First of all, you fellows did a tree-mendous job. I've never been more impressed in my whole life. You cleared off those clouds so the sun could rise once more. It's so nice seeing my dear Flower Fields full of light again after such a long time. There's nothing like sunlight!"

"What about me?" Spike asked. "I should be recognized too!" Suddenly, the Bub-ulbs and flowers booed Spike, causing him to tear up again.

"Listen, all of you!" Wise Wisterwood ordered everyone but Mario and friends. "Show some respect for Mario and Luigi's new companion! Yes, I know the Lakitus were half the cause of the sky being dark and cloudy, but this young fellow here-"

"It's Spike," Spike corrected Wise Wisterwood.

"Spike just showed how he can help save the world from Bowser's evil ways," Wise Wisterwood went on. "If you all keep up your hatred for him, even after everything returns to normal, my future will be more miserable than the countless dark days we've been put through."

Nobody responded verbally, having been silenced by Wise Wisterwood, and went back to their own businesses.

"Sorry about that," Wise Wisterwood apologized to Mario, Luigi, and Spike. "I felt the need to teach them a lesson."

"Well, they sure listened to you," Luigi commented.

"What about the Magical Bean and the soil and water we picked up?" Mario asked.

"Oh, yes of course! You should plant that Magical Bean, don't you think? It should grow well now. I'd say the best place for you to plant it would be over there where you can see the soil."

The group turned to their left and saw a circular soil patch the size of a dinner tabletop. Mario took the Fertile Soil from Luigi, walked over to the soil patch, and buried the Magical Bean before applying the Fertile Soil and Miracle Water to the bean. After 9 seconds, a green beanstalk emerged from the soil and extended itself 7,000 feet in the air within 50 seconds, poking through a yellowish white cumulus cloud deck.

"Hohoho! Success!" Wise Wisterwood declared after the beanstalk grew to its fullest. "Look at that sprout! Now you can go up to Cloudy Climb," But Wise Wisterwood thought of something else. "Hmm... My spot seems to be getting less and less sunny. How disappointing,"

"It's okay, Mr. Wisterwood," Mario reassured Wise Wisterwood. "Your canopy will spread out a bit after Huff N. Puff is taken care of."

"You're right, son. Well, best of luck to you and your companions. I'm sure you'll make it out victorious."

Luigi grabbed the beanstalk first before climbing up a small bit. "Come on, bro!"

"Are you sure you have the guts to climb the whole thing?" Spike asked the Mario Bros.

"Spike, we've climbed beanstalks as tall as this one," Mario replied. "We'll be fine." Without further ado, Mario grabbed the beanstalk as well, prompting Luigi to lead the way with Mario and Spike following him.

Within one hour, the group had already reached the 4,000-foot mark, having climbed as fast as they could. Suddenly, Mario eyeballed a distant cloud with multiple small buildings topped with green leaves and a pink and white palace in the center.

"Guys! There it is! Nimbus Land!" Mario announced, having recognized the small village. The group stopped to look at the village. "I remember that place!"

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

"Four years ago, me and four other partners including Princess Peach and Bowser climbed to Nimbus Land in order to find Prince Mallow's parents; Mallow was another partner who traveled with us," Mario explained.

"He was found as a baby in Tadpole Pond and assumed he was a tadpole from the start," Luigi added in, having been told the story by Mario. "But he learned that he was not a tadpole at all, and they searched really hard until they reached the village and came across the palace's king and queen."

"I think I can see the colored beanstalks too." Mario squinted his eyes and made out the multi-colored beanstalks originating from Bean Valley at ground level. "That was a challenge because we had to jump from beanstalk to beanstalk so many times. I almost fell off one of them just short of the village." Mario let out a sigh. "Oh, so many memories."

"All right-y. Back to the climbing," Luigi said, beckoning Mario and Spike to resume climbing the beanstalk to the yellowish white cloud deck known as Cloudy Climb. Mario and Luigi had to headbutt the bottom of the deck to pass through it. They panted heavily after setting foot on the deck. From start to finish, the climbing took an hour and a half.

"My arms are tired," Luigi said. "I need a break."

"Now's not the time, bro." Mario activated the "Refresh" power on his Star Power Band before handing it to Luigi, who also used "Refresh". Both calmed down immediately.

"Thanks, Mario," Luigi thanked Mario before pressing the "Focus" button and handing the band back to him.

"Where do we walk?" Spike asked.

"Straight ahead," Mario replied. He led Luigi and Spike straight down the middle for four minutes before noticing a Yellow Question Mark Block and a Brick Block to his right. He immediately approached the blocks and hit them from underneath. The Brick Block held ten Coins while the Yellow Question Mark Block let out a Carrot.

"The Carrot!" Mario exclaimed. "I haven't seen this in forever!" He was referring to the adventure he undertook in 1992, collecting six Golden Coins to evict Wario from his second home in Mario Land.

"I don't need it because I can jump really high," Luigi said as Mario took the Carrot and stowed it in his overalls pocket.

"When those bunny ears appear on my cap, I'll jump just as high as Luigi." The group resumed walking down Cloudy Climb until they reached a dead end.

"Where's Huff N. Puff?" Luigi asked. Before Mario could answer, a loud rumble shook the deck. Shortly thereafter, a giant brown cloud quickly emerged from the deck. It had red eyes and a red mouth.

"Are you two men Mario and Luigi?" the cloud demanded. "And did you or did you not break the Puff-Puff Machine?"

"You deserved it, Huff N. Puff," Mario replied.

"I deserved it? What possessed you to do that? You completely ruined my plan to cover Flower Fields in clouds. You see, I was going to turn this sunlight-blasted place into a cloud-covered paradise," Huff N. Puff explained. "But I can't expect two men of your intellect to understand..."

Suddenly, Huff N. Puff noticed Spike floating next to the Mario Bros. "What?! Is that you, Spike?! So! You have betrayed me!"

"Yes, I did by deliberation," Spike responded. "Those dark clouds you and your Lakitus created, they were killing the flowers on the ground. They wanted to bask in the sunlight and grow up to be pretty living things. You should know that flowers are human like Mario and Luigi; they're not just ordinary plants. They wished to be happy and enjoy life. Not to be sad and dread the worst." Mario and Luigi nodded in agreement.

"Well, you deserve to be punished just like Mario and Luigi!" Huff N. Puff retorted with irritation. "I was given this Star Spirit by King Bowser. I'll never give it to the likes of you. Prepare to be paid dearly for your crimes!"

To kick off the battle, Mario threw his hammer at Huff N. Puff, releasing two Tuff Puffs. The hammer flew back into Mario's hands after hitting Huff N. Puff, and he threw it four more times, releasing eight more Tuff Puffs.

"How is he doing that?" Luigi asked.

"I don't know," Mario responded.

One of the Tuff Puffs turned to Huff N. Puff. "Master Huff N. Puff! I wish to pummel the Mario Bros. too! Permission to attack?"

While the Tuff Puff asked Huff N. Puff to attack them, Mario and Luigi giggled for a couple seconds.

"All of a sudden, those small clouds call him their master?" Luigi questioned. "Jeezums."

"Yes, take them both!" Huff N. Puff answered the Tuff Puff. Mario and Luigi rushed toward Huff N. Puff to make their next attack, but the Tuff Puffs charged them quickly. Mario was able to dodge the Tuff Puffs, but Luigi was caught, and they started compressing in on him multiple times.

"Ohohohoho! St-stop that! It... It t-tickles!" Luigi cried with pained laughter. Apparently, the Tuff Puffs' attack was tickling Luigi to the point where he couldn't move.

Meanwhile, Mario jumped on Huff N. Puff a couple more times, inadvertently releasing more Tuff Puffs. At the same time Mario landed back at his starting point, the remaining Tuff Puffs surrounded Mario and compressed in on him too.

"Nohohohoho! C-cut...it o-out! No!" Mario chortled desperately.

"Oh, yes! The tickle torture is working!" Huff N. Puff announced with glee. "Keep going, my minions!"

Spike immediately threw a large barrage of Spiny Eggs at the Tuff Puffs, not wanting Mario and Luigi to die from the excessive laughter. The Tuff Puffs dissipated, leaving the Mario Bros sitting on the deck, panting profusely with sweat dripping from their faces.

"You okay, guys?" Spike asked the Mario Bros.

"Not...yet..." Mario said with exhaustion. Having noticed his Star Energy at the max on his Star Power Band, Mario activated the "Full Recovery" power, giving him a rush of adrenaline in addition to calming down. He quickly threw the band to Luigi, who used the "Refresh" power on himself.

Mario used his Spin Jump attack on Huff N. Puff, releasing more Tuff Puffs. This time, however, Huff N. Puff grew smaller and smaller by each jump.

"Urgh! You asked for it, Mario and Luigi!" Huff N. Puff growled with a slightly high-pitched voice, which was a result of him shrinking. "Now you'll witness the full power of my storm!"

"Master Huff N. Puff! Leave those men to me!" one of the Tuff Puffs said. Huff N. Puff charged his next attack, turning red in the process. Mario acted quickly and took his Carrot out before crushing it with his fist. As expected, Mario turned into Bunny Mario with two bunny ears forming on his cap.

"Now's your chance!" Spike ordered Mario and Luigi. Right on cue, Mario held his palms toward the sky and Luigi leaped onto Mario before jumping again. At the same time the Tuff Puffs charged Mario again, he jumped up high, outrunning the Tuff Puffs. He was within inches of Luigi's shoes.

At the apex of their jumps, Mario grabbed Luigi's ankles before both fell head-first, spinning rapidly. Sensing Mario and Luigi's final attack, Spike braced himself. Huff N. Puff was milliseconds away from releasing a lightning shockwave to immobilize everyone but the Tuff Puffs when Mario and Luigi pummeled through him. As a result, Huff N. Puff exploded into a lightning-filled brown cloud of smoke that vaporized the Tuff Puffs. Luckily, Spike didn't get electrocuted by the cloud.

It took fifteen seconds for the smoke to clear before Spike saw Mario's legs dangling from above the deck; he landed head-first and buried half his body. Mario pulled himself out of the clouds, his Bunny form having worn off.

Mario immediately realized that Luigi was buried under the clouds and dove inside to pull Luigi back to the surface, which took five seconds.

"That was more powerful than I thought," Mario panted.

"Mario! Luigi! That was incredible!" Spike exclaimed. "What did you just do?"

After the Mario Bros. stood back up, Mario explained, "That was the Bounce Bros. attack. Luigi leaped onto my palms before jumping as high as he could. Given that I used the Carrot to turn into Bunny Mario, I was able to catch up with Luigi before grabbing his ankles."

"We then dove head-first, spinning round and round until we blew up Huff N. Puff," Luigi chimed in. "But you saw we buried ourselves by accident, which was not supposed to happen."

"You still did great, either way," Spike responded. "I couldn't have done better myself."

"Thanks for stopping those brown clouds from tickling us," Mario thanked Spike. "I was literally almost out of breath."

"Me too," Luigi added in. Suddenly, a glowing white orb rose from the clouds behind Mario and Luigi's backs.

"Guys! Look behind you!" Spike pointed out, having noticed the orb. Right when Mario and Luigi turned around, the orb blew up and imploded to reveal Klevar trapped in a playing card.

"Yes!" Mario shouted with joy. "I can't believe we're this close! There's just one more left!" Mario wasted no time and grabbed the card prompting a bright white light to shine from above. Mario and friends then flew up with the card before fading away.


	38. Entering Shiver City

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**You heard Mario in the last chapter! Just one more Star Spirit to rescue before Mario and friends go up to Peach and Bowser's castles in the stratosphere! The question now is: how are Peach and the Mario Bros' longtime friend Jim holding up? Let's see now.**

* * *

**Chapter 38: Entering Shiver City**

It's 10:10 AM, about a couple hours into Mario and Luigi's trek through Flower Fields. Back up in Peach's castle's master bedroom, she exited her closet wearing a pink dress similar to her original one; the exception being a dark pink section just below her sapphire brooch, a yellow crown-like pattern in the form of an upside-down triangle surrounding the brooch, and a yellow crown-like line extending from her stomach to a ring of the same pattern at the bottom, which has a red band behind some lace fabric.

"Wow, Princess Peach. Your new dress looks prettier than your other pink dress," Twink complimented Peach.

"Thank you, Twink. I usually wear this at formal events if I wanted to stay with the pink color," Peach replied. She took half a minute to come up with a new idea. "You know, I haven't explored the upstairs part of the castle just yet, which I should be able to do now that I have that umbrella."

"Good thinking. Just use it on one of the guards like you did yesterday."

Peach went back to her closet to get her umbrella. "All right. Let's go."

Without hesitation, Peach and Twink went through the secret path and out the office study into the second floor. To their surprise, only three Koopatrols were present: one guarding Peach's bedroom door, one guarding the third-floor door, and one pacing aimlessly in the middle.

"Thanks for helping me sneak around, Bowser," Peach giggled quietly. She assumed that Bowser found out about the Koopatrols keeping up their laziness and expelled most of them over the course of Mario and Luigi's adventure. She snuck up on the one in front of her bedroom door and used it to become a Koopatrol. Peach proceeded to walk up the staircase to the third-floor door and approached the Koopatrol next to it.

"Hello. If you'd please move out of the way, I'd like to take a walk down there," Peach asked in her Koopatrol voice.

"Sorry. Not yet, dude," the Koopatrol replied. "I need my relief now. My shift has been over for ages already! Could you go find that slacker and get him up here? Please! I'm so exhausted I might nod off in three minutes! He's probably outside next to the castle's front door."

"I'm on it." Peach and Twink headed down to the first floor before going out the front door. To their right was a sleeping white Clubba. In quick succession, Peach approached the Clubba, snapped her fingers to turn back to normal, and used her umbrella on the Clubba to become another white Clubba.

"That was fast," Twink remarked quietly. They hurried back into the castle and made their way to the third-floor door again.

"Ah! Finally! About time! You're so late! Again! Don't you know how to read the shift schedule?" the Koopatrol retorted Peach.

"I'm sorry, dude. I have a bad memory like King Bowser," Peach answered in her Clubba voice.

"That's no excuse and you know it!" The Koopatrol stopped for a couple seconds to think it over. "You know what? I guess I'll let it go this time, but watch it, okay? You have a good shift. I'm shovin' off. Don't goof off, either! You're on thin ice, buddy!"

"Gotcha," Peach replied as the Koopatrol headed downstairs to the first floor. "I can't wait to see what they have upstairs."

Peach went through the door into the long hallway that Mario and Bowser fought three days ago. She stopped just short of the broken window and visualized the battle briefly.

"I'll never forget that day. I can still hear Bowser hurting Mario's jaw."

"I could imagine," Twink agreed. He and Peach resumed walking down the hall and went up two flights of stairs at the end before arriving on an outdoor bridge. There were two Koopatrols standing next to the door on the other side. Before Peach could ask them for permission to go through the door, Kammy walked out the door in front of them.

"Okay. All right. Everything's finally ready," Kammy stated. "Even if Mario and Luigi show up with all the Star Spirits, we'll still be all right! It pays to expect the worst." Peach stood behind the second Koopatrol.

"Absolutely! Affirmative! You're right, Kammy!" the first Koopatrol responded. Kammy proceeded to walk in the opposite direction of where Peach came from before she spotted Peach in her white Clubba disguise.

"Hmm! You there!" Kammy said.

"Yes, ma'am?" Peach replied.

"You're doing a fine job. Keep up the good..." Suddenly, Kammy sniffed the air for a moment and felt suspicious. "Wait... Something's weird about you..."

"I don't know what you're talking about, ma'am," Peach said.

"You... You smell too nice..."

"Oh no..." Twink whispered from behind the bridge. Kammy used her wand to turn Peach back to normal.

"DANG IT! I WAS SO CLOSE!" Peach yelled with anger.

"Princess Peach! Unbelievable!" Kammy scolded Peach. "Out again!" She turned to the Koopatrols. "Guards! Both of you! Take this royal runaway back to her room!"

This time, Peach wasn't scared that she was being taken back. She sighed while the Koopatrols picked her up.

"That's right. Carry me to my bed. I need a nap anyway," Peach said with sarcasm. "Thank you."

Twink waited for everyone to leave the bridge before sneaking through the broken window back to Peach's bedroom.

* * *

"Don't be so difficult, Jim! You've been going on about wanting to stay in this cell for days now!" Jim exclaimed in his Mij voice; he was talking to himself in the sink mirror on the top-right corner of the cell.

"Because I like to repeat this stuff again and again!" Jim screamed in his regular voice. "I'll keep saying it until everyone finally agrees with me! You know they want Mario and Luigi to rescue them including me! Well, guess what?! There's no way in hell they'll reach Bowser's castle!"

"How long have I been listening to Jim for?" Toadsworth asked one of the five Toads next to him.

"I've lost track of time," the Toad answered. "I was gonna exaggerate and say, 'two years already'."

"Once again, you're doubting yourself!" Jim said in his Mij voice. "Act like Mario and Luigi's number-one buddy! It's the only way!"

"I'm NOT a damsel-in-distress, Mij! That's something a girl would say! Who are you to think a boy would act like Princess Peach?!"

"I never said that, Jim! You need to listen carefully to my advice!" Jim suddenly lunged for the mirror and grabbed both sides.

"What are you doing?!" Jim's Mij voice demanded. "Don't pull my mirror off the wall!"

"Or else what?!" Jim began to tug the mirror off the wall, but it appeared to be hammered into the bricks.

"What am I watching?" the second Toad giggled with disbelief. "Is this a paranormal movie in real life?"

"IT'S NOT YOUR MIRROR!" Jim screamed while pulling harder and harder. "THIS IS MY MIRROR! I WAS THE ONE TALKING INTO IT! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A-" Finally, Jim ripped the mirror off cleanly, but he fell back and hit his head on the floor, knocking himself out.

"Ooh... That's got to hurt," the third Toad said. "I'd help Jim, but I don't want him to jump me."

"Don't worry, my friend. I got this," Toadsworth answered before slowly approaching Jim, who woke up crying from his head hurting badly. "Are you okay, Jim? What did you hit?"

Suddenly, Jim started talking in his Mij voice again, "Stop that crying, Jimmy-baby! You're-"

"STOP CALLING ME 'JIMMY-BABY'!" Jim's outburst caused Toadsworth to hurry back to his bench. To everyone's surprise, Jim suddenly started speaking in a high-pitched voice reminiscent to that of his seven-year-old self.

"That's so impolite of you, Frank! How dare you and Greg laugh at me when I broke my foot?!"

"He broke his foot?" the second Toad whispered to Toadsworth.

"I guess so."

"You better apologize to me and Mom after I wake up in the hospital!" Jim's voice changed again; this time, he started imitating Mario's voice.

"Apologize? But I thought Luigi's face looked funny! Look at the soot on him."

"Oh no... He's regressed horribly..." Toadsworth muttered.

"His face is covered in soot because he almost died in that explosion!" Jim yelled in his seven-year-old voice.

"Oh, he's fine. Can't he take a little joke?" Jim asked in his Mario voice.

"It's not a joke! He's run away because he's hurt physically and mentally! You even said, 'Who cares about Luigi anyway'!"

"Everyone loves Luigi, Jim," Jim said in his Mij voice. "You said he was as equal as Mario is."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Jim shouted in his regular voice. "MARIO AND LUIGI ARE IRRELEVANT NOW!"

"Lower your voice, Jim. The more you scream, the more you-" Jim immediately picked the mirror up and started smashing it on the ground.

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT SAYING IT AGAIN, MIJ! SHUT! THE! FLIP! UP!" On the word "up", the mirror shattered into hundreds of glass fragments and Jim stumbled forward toward the left wall. He hit his head on the wall and slumped face-down before closing his eyes.

"You are all lucky you didn't lose your minds," Toadsworth said to the other Toads. "I've been fine from Day 1."

"Me too." "Yeah. Nothing wrong with me." "I'm good." "Don't worry about me." "I feel for Jim," all five Toads answered, respectively.

"What's gonna happen next? Is Jim gonna start cackling like a maniac?" Toadsworth asked himself while looking at Jim slowly nodding off.

* * *

Fast forwarding three hours later, Mario, Luigi, and Spike reappeared through another light beam and landed just in front of Wise Wisterwood; the Star Power Band appeared on Mario's wrist during the short trip from Cloudy Climb. Klevar was hovering next to the beanstalk and floated toward the group.

"What a pleasure meeting you. My name is Klevar. Thank you for saving me," Klevar thanked the group. "Huff N. Puff is gone, so the flowers in Flower Fields can live peacefully once more. I feel that if you hadn't come, Flower Fields would never have seen the light again. Now there is only one of us Star Spirits still trapped. Just one more, Mario and Luigi! Here. Please use my power as you continue your fight."

Klevar raised his arms up, causing Mario and Luigi to sparkle for a few seconds. Then, the Star Power Band's Star Energy was refilled completely before being increased by another unit and reached as far as the second white button from the left of the band's center.

"This power is called 'Time Out'," Klevar explained. "It costs two Star Energy units to use, and what it does is freeze your enemies in place for exactly one minute, allowing you the opportunity to attack them as much as possible."

"That sounds useful," Mario said.

"It is indeed. My power should prove to be extremely helpful in battle," Klevar went on. "Don't become overconfident, though. You must be careful. Bowser has power, as well. Remember that even stronger enemies await you... I hope our powers will help you so that you may help us... We're all depending on you! I'll go back to the Star Road now. I can't wait to get there! I've been terribly worried about everyone..."

Klevar then rose toward the Star Road, leaving Mario and friends to continue with their adventure.

"Congratulations, young Mario and Luigi! And a wonderful job to you too, Spike! You saved the Star Spirit!" Wise Wisterwood congratulated the group. "Because of your efforts, Flower Fields is beautiful again."

"It sure is," Mario responded. "You should've seen the look on my face, Mr. Wisterwood. I was crying so hard, especially after the rainbow appeared. I don't know why that is."

"Maybe it's because you're so sensitive, Mario," Wise Wisterwood said. "But you proved yourself worthy along with your companions. Thank you again. It was worth living so long to meet some people of your stature. Please come and see me again. I'll be looking forward to it."

"All right-y!" Mario declared before he, Luigi, and Spike turned to the Bub-ulbs and waved goodbye.

"Until next time!" "See ya!" "Bye now," Mario, Luigi, and Spike said before going through the door inside Wise Wisterwood's trunk and reentering Mindy T.'s garden in Toad Town.

"Mamma mia. All of this beautiful nature is making me hungry," Luigi remarked, having felt his stomach growl.

"Me too. I know just the place to have lunch," Mario said before leading Luigi and Spike to the restaurant of his choice.

Twenty minutes later, Mario and friends were sitting at a booth inside Toad Town Deli, which was stationed just across from Toad Town Port.

"All right. One Reuben sandwich with salt and vinegar chips for Mario, a loaded baked potato for Luigi, and a meatball grinder with a dill pickle for Spike," a waiter said while delivering the group's respective lunches to them.

"Thank you so much," Mario thanked the waiter.

"No problem. Have a nice afternoon," the waiter said before walking off. Mario immediately took a bite of his sandwich.

"Wow. I haven't had a Reuben in forever," Mario stated with his mouth full. "The sauerkraut really hits the spot."

"So, did you actually call yourself 'Lakilester' when we first met you?" Luigi asked Spike.

"That's my real name, but it embarrassed me so much. My school friends made fun of me and called me, 'Lakiless Fortunate'," Spike explained. "I felt like I had to change my name. I convinced my mom to get my birth certificate rewritten, and that's what made me 'Spike'. I liked that name better."

"Did your parents sometimes forget your new name?" Mario asked.

"Sometimes, they did. But out of all people, my girlfriend Lakilulu called me 'Lakilester' on and on no matter how many times I tried to tell her I'm 'Spike'." Spike ate some of his grinder.

"Did she think it was adorable?" Luigi questioned before digging into his baked potato.

"She claims it sounded adorable, but I was under the assumption that she hated 'Spike' and decided to test me by calling me 'Lakilester'. I want to break up with Lakilulu, but I love her at the same time."

"I feel you. It's hard to make a decision when you're stuck in the middle like that," Mario said. "I can't think of when I was in the same place, but I understand how you feel."

"Thank you, Mario. I'm glad you and Luigi respect my wishes," Spike thanked Mario.

After Mario and friends finished their lunches 15 minutes later, Mario's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Mario said after answering the call.

"Hi, Mario! How's your afternoon?" Jeffrey T. asked over the line.

"Not much, Jeffrey. Me, Luigi, and a new friend of ours just finished eating at the deli. What is it?"

"Merlon wants you over at his house," Jeffrey said. "He has an important task for you."

"Thanks, Jeffrey. We'll be there in a moment. Buh-bye." Mario hung up the phone before beckoning Luigi and Spike to follow him to Merlon's house, which took 8 minutes to walk to. Mario approached the front door and knocked on it three times.

"Coming!" Merlon called out from inside. He opened the door seconds later. "Well, good afternoon, my friends. You came at such a good time. There's a guest waiting for you."

"Is he nice?" Luigi asked.

"Very nice, Luigi," Merlon replied. "Come on in, please." Merlon led the group into his living room, where a Ninji was standing next to the crystal ball. Mario and Luigi sat on the couch while Spike hovered above the cushions.

"Hello, Mario and Luigi. Nice to meet you," the Ninji introduced himself. "I come from Starborn Valley. Starborn Valley is in the Shiver region, a chill place far to the north, at the very end of the Earth. Merle, who hails from there, said that he had something important to tell you."

"Merle of Starborn Valley is my son, Mario and Luigi," Merlon added in. "It seems he's calling for you. If he is searching for you, you can be sure something important is afoot."

"Such as the last Star Spirit being held somewhere nearby?" Mario asked.

"That's possible. Speaking of which, very well done to you, your brother, and your new friend on getting six of seven thus far. I've been watching your progress for the last few days," Merlon said. "Now, you must go to Starborn Valley. Do not delay."

"Yes, please hurry!" the Ninji agreed. "I will run ahead and take tidings of you to Merle." The Ninji hurried out of Merlon's house to where the entrance to the Shiver region is located.

"I think somewhere in Kero Sewers beneath Toad Town is a pipe connected to Shiver City. Starborn Valley is located quite near Shiver City," Merlon instructed the group. "My friends, please hurry to meet my son. He waits in Starborn Valley."

"Thank you, Merlon. We'll tell Merle you said hello," Mario thanked Merlon before leading Luigi and Spike out of the house.

"Where's Kero Sewers?" Spike asked.

"Follow me," Mario said. He walked ahead and came across a green Warp Pipe just across from the entrance to Forever Forest. "This is the entrance to Kero Sewers."

"I hope it's not too dark down there," Spike said with concern.

"It will be dark, but not too much." Mario went down the Warp Pipe before Luigi and Spike followed him into Kero Sewers. The sewers were made up of brown bricked walls and gray stoned floors with long green Warp Pipes that comprised the ceilings. It was quiet inside apart from water droplets falling from different parts of the Warp Pipe ceiling.

"This is where we'd sometimes take shortcuts to different parts of the world if they're unreachable by normal means," Mario said. "In this case, it's Shiver City." Without further ado, Mario led Luigi and Spike through the sewers by first going left through two rooms before entering a side-mounted Warp Pipe. Once in the next room, they found themselves next to a rectangular pool in the middle, which they swam through to get to the other side.

They then fought several Gloombas and Dark Koopas that blocked their path; the Dark Koopas were a bit of a challenge because their main attack was spinning fast like a tornado and dizzying Mario and friends briefly. They eventually reached a green Warp Pipe with an ice layer surrounding the sides.

"This must be it," Luigi said before jumping into the Warp Pipe. But the pipe didn't lead them directly to Shiver City. Instead, they ended up in an elongated hall with frozen water and ice-layered Warp Pipes on the walls. There were large icicles hanging from the ceiling too.

"Are you feeling cold?" Spike asked while holding his arms together; he was shivering slightly. "I'm shivering right now."

"It's okay, Spike. I'll go and warm you up," Mario reassured Spike. He proceeded to switch Spike with Goombario using his Partner Collection Band.

"Hey hey! Nice to see you two again!" Goombario greeted the Mario Bros. "Where are we going to?"

"Shiver City," Mario answered. "I'm guessing you know something about that place?"

"I think so. How about I tell you when we arrive?" Goombario offered. Without further ado, Mario and friends made their way to a frozen Warp Pipe mounted on the wall ahead and entered it for the short ride to Shiver City.


	39. Mysterious Murder Case

**Chapter 39: Mysterious Murder Case**

It's now 2:20 PM, and Mario, Luigi, and Goombario emerged from the other end of the frozen Warp Pipe into Shiver City, which was mostly covered with snow. Because Mario and Luigi were superhumans, they were not affected by the cold temperatures, whereas it made Goombario shiver a bit.

"This is Shiver City. It's usually completely covered with snow and ice," Goombario explained. "It's perfect for penguins, but it's a bit too cold for me. You seem to be fine, though. How do you do it, Mario and Luigi?"

"I have no idea," Mario replied. "But for all me and Luigi know, it kind of feels like we're in an air-conditioned room or something."

"Does it really snow all year round?" Luigi asked.

"Apparently, yes. Given that the city is located near the north pole, I can understand why."

As Mario and friends began exploring Shiver City, they saw multiple Bumpties walking up and down the cobblestone road. It was a small city with 8 buildings and a giant frozen pond on the east end.

Next to the frozen pond was a green Bumpty wearing a police hat. Mario approached him to ask for directions.

"Excuse me, sir. Can you show us what Shiver City is like?" Mario asked.

"I'd love to right now, but I'm currently investigating a report of a suspicious character wandering around the city," the police chief answered.

"Okey-dokey. I hope you solve the case." Just before the group could take off, the policeman thought of something.

"Wait a minute. You're not him, are you?"

"No. Absolutely not. We just came here," Mario said.

"This is our first time in the city," Luigi added in.

"All right. Whatever."

Over on the far end of the east side, a Bumpty was standing in front of the archway.

"Um, we need to go to Starborn Valley from here," Luigi requested. "Can you let us through?"

"Not yet. We're on alert because a stranger appeared in the city. So, I can't let you pass without permission from the mayor," the Bumpty said.

"Where's the mayor?" Goombario asked.

"He's in the house on the west end of the city."

"Thank you so much," Mario thanked the Bumpty before leading Luigi and Goombario to the mayor's house. They expected the mayor to be standing in front after they went inside, but to their surprise, they saw the mayor lying on his back with his eyes closed.

"No... The mayor better not be dead..." Mario muttered. "Unless he fell asleep earlier..."

"What do we do?" Luigi asked.

"I don't know. Let me see how he's doing." Mario walked up to the mayor and tried to take his pulse. There was no heartbeat. "Oh no... They're gonna blame us now..."

Suddenly, he saw a small piece of paper in the mayor's left flipper that said "Herringway".

"'Herringway'? What kind of name is that?" Mario asked himself. "Bro, this is getting a bit weird."

"We should just-" Luigi started to say before the door opened. The group turned to see a female Bumpty walking inside.

"Darling, would you like a cup of tea?" the Bumpty asked, thinking the mayor was okay.

"This must be the mayor's wife," Luigi whispered to Goombario.

"Hmm..." The wife now believed the mayor was sleeping. "Dear, you know you'll catch a cold if you sleep there!" She walked up to the mayor with Mario standing next to him.

"Um, ma'am? I can explain," Mario said with hesitation.

"Not now, sir," the wife responded before taking the mayor's pulse. She immediately became frightened at the mayor's apparent death. "NOOO!"

The wife ran out of the house crying, "Help! Somebody! Anybody! My husband is dead! He's been murdered! It's a penguin murder mystery!"

"I knew it!" Mario said with frustration. "They're gonna kill us!"

"Calm down, Mario," Luigi coaxed Mario. "Let's just act natural." The group heard another voice talking to the mayor's wife.

"What's going on here, madam? Just calm down now. You need to speak slowly so I can get to the bottom of this." When the door opened again, the police chief came inside with the mayor's wife.

"My husband is dead! Look at him lying there! Oh, my darling husband! Somebody clipped his flippers!" the mayor's wife cried.

"Step aside, please," the police chief ordered Mario. He took the mayor's pulse too and didn't feel a heartbeat.

"By golly, you're right, madam! The mayor's been murdered!" the police chief exclaimed, worrying Mario, Luigi, and Goombario even more.

"This is like a mystery novel! Except it's real! How tragic! But madam, if I may ask... Who would have reason to put this penguin on ice?"

The mayor's wife didn't hesitate and yelled, "Him! Right there! The man with the suspicious mustache! And his two friends next to him! I never wanted anyone to come in the house, but they barged right in! My husband was alive right up until these people showed up! They must be the murderers!"

"No! No! It wasn't like that!" Mario tried to confess. "We were just-"

"Hey! Stop talking and listen to me!" the police chief interrupted Mario. "That includes you two!" Luigi and Goombario also turned to listen to the policeman. "This good woman's accusing you. What do you say for yourself?"

"We were just going inside to ask the mayor for permission to go to Starborn Valley beyond this city," Mario said.

"We would never downright kill anyone like that!" Luigi chimed in.

"We're good people just like her!" Goombario said too.

"Don't try to play ignorant with me. I'm a professional. We've got a witness here. Isn't that right, madam?"

"Yes! That's right! They did it in cold blood! I... I saw it with my own eyes!" the mayor's wife shouted. "Besides, they're the only ones who came into this room! It all adds up!"

"You're not making any sense, ma'am!" Mario said with irritation. "You can't just jump to conclusions immediately! We need to take this one step at a time!"

"Yeah!" Luigi and Goombario agreed.

"So, you're sticking to your story, claiming you're not the culprits..." the police chief wondered.

"Me and Goombario here were with my brother the whole time! I swear on my own grave, we are innocent!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Hmm... If you're telling the truth, then we're dealing with a backroom murder case. Oh, I never trained for this..." The police chief paced around the room, unsure of how to go from there.

"A backroom murder case... A high-ranking penguin slain... How could such a horrible plot twist hit our peaceful city?" Finally, he thought of an idea and turned to the group again. "All of you! The twin Mr. Mustaches and Goombario! Once more for the record! You swear you didn't do this?"

"For the third time, all of us are innocent. Nothing else," Mario stated.

"Very well. If you do say you're innocent, this means we have to find the true murderer..." Again, the police chief stopped to think it over.

"Ah! Perfect! Since you claim that you're not the guilty party, then you must bring me the murderer yourself!"

"We can do that," Mario said.

"If you find him, I'll believe you. It's the only way... But until you legitimately prove you're innocent, I must forbid you to leave the city. Now, off with you."

Mario and friends immediately left the mayor's house in search of whoever did kill the mayor. They initially asked most of the Bumpty residents, but they refused to help, assuming that they were the murderers too. However, in the second building from the left of the east archway, there was a cabinet that was opened halfway.

"There was a paper that said, 'Herringway' on it," Mario said. "Could there be more about him in this cabinet?"

"I don't know. But maybe there's a book with his name on it," Goombario answered. Both Mario and Luigi opened the cabinet and rummaged through it for a couple seconds; suddenly, Mario discovered a gray key hidden in the very back.

"Did I see a lock on the building next to this one?" Luigi asked. "That should be where the key goes."

The group exited the building and went over to the lock on the next building and unlocked it before going inside. It turned out to be a two-story storehouse filled with wooden crates, old books, and chairs lying all around.

"More books?" Mario asked himself upon seeing the pile of books. "Maybe there's a diary in there." Both Mario and Luigi sifted through all the books and skimmed the pages to find random writing within, but there was still nothing.

"Let's not give up hope before you complain, Luigi," Mario said to Luigi. "At least there's another floor to look over." The group went upstairs to the second floor, upon which a yellow trampoline sat beneath a hole in the ceiling.

"What's up there?" Luigi asked while looking through the hole. He immediately hopped on the trampoline, which catapulted him out of the building. He then landed on the snowy rooftop and slid for a second before stopping himself from falling off.

"Guys! Up here!" Luigi called from the rooftop. Mario and Goombario made their way to the roof and inched toward the edge where Luigi was standing. There was an open chimney on the next building in front.

"If we're going down that chimney, we need someone else to help us," Mario said before swapping Goombario with Bow.

"That's a lot of snow," Bow remarked while looking at her surroundings. "What city is this?"

"I'll explain later, Bow," Mario replied. "We're on a mission right now, and we need to be sneaky. This is where you come in."

After Bow nodded in agreement, she touched Mario to make him invisible, but Luigi moved out of the way, keeping his promise to never touch a ghost.

"Please, Luigi? It'll make things easier," Bow requested.

"You remember what I told you?" Luigi asked.

"All right. I understand." The group leaped over the gap to the next building and approached the chimney. Bow and Mario immediately jumped into the chimney before Luigi slowly straddled downward.

Inside the building was a Bumpty with big white eyebrows; he was writing some notes as part of brainstorming for his next book. Luckily, he didn't notice Bow and Mario tiptoeing toward him. Upon reaching the bottom, Luigi hid inside the fireplace, waiting for the right time to show himself.

The Bumpty turned away from his desk to go to his water cooler when he saw sooty footprints in front.

"Did someone break and enter?" the Bumpty wondered out loud. Knowing the footprints came from the chimney, he started to walk toward it. Suddenly, Bow and Mario revealed themselves and screamed as loud as they could, causing the Bumpty to fall over and crawl backwards. Luigi then came running out from the fireplace and grabbed him to stop him from moving.

"We got you now, Herringway!" Luigi declared.

"Wha- How did you know my name?!" Herringway asked with fright. "And why are you in my house?! All of you, get out!" He pointed toward the front door, but Luigi pinned his flipper down.

"We're not leaving just yet," Mario said. "Tell us what you know about the mayor's murder."

"What do you mean, 'The mayor's been murdered'?"

"Some unknown suspect barged into his house and clipped his flippers before knocking him over," Luigi explained. "He was not breathing after he left, and the cops blamed me, my brother, and our friend Bow just as we entered Shiver City!"

"And why should I care?!" Herringway demanded.

"Because you're the chief suspect! That's why!" Mario answered with anger. "You'll pay for turning the residents on us!"

"Yeah! How about we turn you in?" Bow asked.

"No! Don't do it!" Herringway pleaded. "I'm innocent!"

"Not listening," Mario answered, putting his hand in front of Herringway's face. Luigi led the way while holding Herringway's flippers behind his back. They eventually arrived at the mayor's house; the mayor's wife and police chief were still standing next to the mayor's body.

"We found him, sir!" Mario announced as Luigi pushed Herringway in front of the police chief.

"He's all yours!" Luigi said.

"Wait! Before you do anything else, isn't this the mystery novel writer named Herringway?" the police chief asked.

"His name was on a piece of paper the mayor was holding," Mario said.

"So! If that were true, I most certainly would've noticed it. Now, where's that paper?" It took a few seconds for the police chief to see the paper in the mayor's flipper. He then read the text slowly to take in what was written.

"It's a message about his death!" the police chief exclaimed. "With his last breath, the mayor told us the murderer's identity!" He turned to Herringway with an angry smile on his face. "Mr. Herringway, you cold-hearted murderer... It all makes sense now. No wonder your novels are so exciting and suspenseful. You live out your own plots."

"Dear man, do you have any idea what kind of bull you're saying?!" Herringway loudly asked. "You actually think I would do this to the mayor?! He's a great friend of mine!"

"Oh, really? What makes you think he's your friend?"

"Well, we've known each other-"

"Enough! Not another word!" the police chief interrupted. "I'm not gonna hear your coverup story that alienates everyone into thinking someone else did this despicable crime!"

"All right-y. Can we go now?" Luigi requested, letting go of Herringway's flippers. "This case is over."

"Uh-uh. Not until I have a say," Herringway disagreed. "I would never be so predictable. Besides, I'm completely innocent. I've been working in my house on my new novel for two and a half weeks. I didn't have time to sneak over here to kill the mayor."

"I'd just like to say that I still think these two mustached men-" the mayor's wife tried to defend her point.

"Will you shut up already?!" Mario shouted, silencing the wife immediately. "I don't want to hear another freaking word out of your mouth! God!"

The police chief sighed with disgust. "This penguin murder mystery is getting more confusing... What do we do now?"

Suddenly, the mayor groaned and stretched his arms while still lying on his back.

"He's alive..." Luigi whispered to Mario.

"What...?" Mario replied with disbelief. "How could he be...?"

"Oh, my aching skull..." the mayor said with pain, holding his head with his flipper. He inadvertently scared his wife while getting up.

"NOOO! My husband's a ghost!" the wife screamed. "Get him away!"

"Oh jeez," the mayor murmured. "What is going on right now?"

"Hold on! Hold on a second!" the police chief ordered. "Mayor, we thought you were dead! Our backroom murder mystery is a wash! What a plot twist!"

"I was dead? What are you talking about?" the mayor asked. "I seem to remember going to the shelf to get this souvenir for Herringway..." He took a couple seconds to remember what happened before he knocked himself out. "Oh, yes, of course! I reached up, slipped, and then hit my skull on the floor. Yes, that's what happened!"

The mayor went to his bookshelf on the far end of the house and made sure not to fall off while climbing up. He then retrieved a blue and white wreath before handing it to Herringway.

"Here you are, Herringway," the mayor said. "I heard you wanted to put this wreath above your fireplace. You might as well take some pictures of it and send them to me."

"Umm... Thank you, I guess..." Herringway thanked the mayor with confusion.

"Well, it's about time this ordeal was done," the police chief stated. "Mayor, please be careful next time. The whole city was up in arms." The police chief left the house to go back to his business.

"Yeah. I'm very sorry," the mayor said to Herringway.

"Hehe. I thought it was rather entertaining, actually," Herringway remarked.

"Entertaining?!" Mario cried. "How could an injury like that be entertaining?! Do you even realize the mayor could've died if he fell from a higher height?!"

Herringway stood in silence, realizing Mario was right. He slowly walked out of the mayor's with his head hung toward the ground.

"Please forgive me, fellows," the mayor apologized. "I never meant to cause a ruckus in the city."

"Yeah. I'm sorry too," the wife added in.

"Did I just say I don't want to hear another word from you?" Mario reminded the wife. "Leave now."

"Can you not tell me what to do?" the wife asked. "I just-"

"But you've been on my nerves for the last half hour!" Mario exaggerated with frustration. "I don't want to see your face again!"

"Just wait in the kitchen, dear," the mayor told the wife, who walked into the kitchen.

"That wasn't necessary, bro," Luigi told Mario. "You can't boss someone around like that."

"Enough. Let's forget this matter for now," the mayor requested. "Since you're in my house, I assume you wanted to ask me a question, right?" Luigi stepped forward.

"Yes. Me, Mario, and our friend Bow want to go to Starborn Valley from here, but there's someone guarding the exit."

"I see. Well, I'll call him up now and let him know you are leaving," the mayor responded. "Good luck out there, fellows."

The group immediately left the mayor's house toward the east archway. After they reached the archway, the Bumpty guarding the way out stepped to his left, allowing them to go on to Starborn Valley.


	40. Why You Again?

**Chapter 40: Why You Again?**

"Wow. I never knew Shiver City was this far north," Bow said, having been told about Goombario's knowledge of Shiver City by Mario and Luigi. "It looks like Goombario is the king of brainiacs."

"Not really, but he does know most of everything in the whole world," Luigi replied. "I'll have to ask him what his weaknesses are."

For the last 15 minutes, Mario, Luigi, and Bow have been going due east toward Starborn Valley. There were Frost Piranhas and Gulpits that patrolled the path, but the group were able to defeat them without a problem. The only exception was that one of the Frost Piranhas nearly froze Mario but Bow barely turned him invisible in time.

"How far are we, Mario?" Luigi asked.

"We're getting close, bro," Mario answered. "But don't-"

Suddenly, a familiar voice yelled out from nowhere, "Hey hey hey hey hey!" Having recognized the voice, Mario frowned with anger.

"No... Don't tell me he's back..." Mario muttered. Seconds later, Jr. Troopa came rolling in from the right and stopped in front of the group. Mario took the short opportunity to swap Bow with Bombette, having remembered her helping during the second battle.

"Brrrraaahahaha! Brrr! I've been waiting for you guys!" Jr. Troopa cackled while shivering.

"Why?! Why you again?!" Mario demanded. "You almost drowned me in the ocean!"

"Yeah! And how are you still alive?" Jr. Troopa asked. "Did your brother-boy save you? Oh, how sweet."

"Shut up, J.T.! Can you just leave us alone?" Mario requested. "We're running errands here!"

"I'll never leave you alone! You know why?" Jr. Troopa pulled out a magic wand in the form of a wooden cane.

"What is that?" Luigi asked Bombette quietly.

"I think it's a magic stick or something," Bombette replied.

"Look at this piece of work! I've been taking a little magic course on the side!" Jr. Troopa boasted.

"No, you haven't," Luigi responded. "I know you stole it from a wizard. Since when have you taken magic school?"

"For the last year! I never steal anything that doesn't belong to me!"

"What about when you stole Goompa and Goompapa's stuff?" Mario asked.

"I didn't do it," Jr. Troopa lied. "It must've been my ally that did the job."

"I'd tease you again, J.T., but seriously, we need to go," Mario said. "Now back off."

"Not until I teach you a lesson!"

"You already did! You showed Mario how not to invade your playground!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Wrong! I showed this red dude how not to jump on my head because see these cracks up here?" Jr. Troopa pointed to the eggshell on his head; it had numerous cracks all around with small holes exposing his scalp. "That's the lesson I taught! I'm still not over the playground thing!"

Mario groaned with irritation, "Enough about the playground! I'm not asking you again! Go away or I WILL shatter all your shell!"

While Mario threatened Jr. Troopa, Luigi noticed Jr. Troopa chanting a spell loudly, "AUDITORUS BLOCKULA!" Jr. Troopa flicked his wand at Mario, releasing a magic blast that hit his head. As a result, Mario's ears rang loud enough for him to not hear anything; it also gave him a huge headache that caused him to collapse on the ground.

"MARIO!" Luigi shouted, seeing Mario hold his head and cry his eyes out. He turned to Jr. Troopa. "YOU SON OF A PARATROOPA!"

Both Luigi and Bombette began battling Jr. Troopa while Mario stayed on the ground in a fetal position. Luigi tried to use his Thunder attacks on Jr. Troopa, but they were canceled out from the magic wand's blasts.

"I'm not giving up until I win a second time!" Jr. Troopa declared while shooting at Luigi and Bombette. "Then I'll be back to make it three for three! Hahaha!"

Bombette charged toward J.T. multiple times to slowly crack the bottom eggshell, which made him angrier.

"I swear if you destroy my shell completely, I'll-" Jr. Troopa began to threaten Luigi and Bombette.

"You'll do what? Shoot us with more magic?" Bombette asked.

"Good answer! How about I get your ears too, greenhead?" Jr. Troopa taunted Luigi. Bombette proceeded to light her fuse while Jr. Troopa recited the same spell. He was milliseconds away from attacking again before Bombette finally blew up, sending him flying to the west over Shiver City.

"Please be gone forever," Luigi said after J.T. disappeared completely. He saw that the magic wand was left lying in the snow as J.T. accidentally dropped it during the final attack.

"Use that to heal Mario's ears," Bombette told Luigi. They approached Mario before Luigi tried to come up with a spell of his own.

"Hang in there, Mario," Bombette reassured Mario, who was still crying on the ground.

"Umm... Auditorus... Uh..." Luigi hesitated. "Auditorus...restoriar...?" Luigi pointed the wand at Mario at the end of his spell, releasing a magic blast in Mario's face that made his headache go away. The side effect was that Mario's ears were still ringing a bit even after his hearing was restored.

"Thanks...Luigi..." Mario sniffed while wiping his tears. "Is J.T. dead?"

"I can't answer that, Mario," Luigi replied as he helped Mario back up. "I think it's a yes and no."

"I...need a...short break..." Mario said before sitting next to the path; he took his cap off and hung his head toward the ground.

"I'm glad this wasn't as worse as what happened on the ferry," Luigi told Bombette.

"Was that when Mario almost drowned?"

"It was." Luigi let out a sigh. "Oh, mamma mia. That was the scariest thing I saw in a while. I'll never forget that evening."

For the next six minutes, the group chilled out before resuming their trek to Starborn Valley. Luigi held the magic wand in his hand during the walk because he believed Jr. Troopa stole it from someone nearby.


	41. Starborn Valley

**Chapter 41: Starborn Valley**

It's now 3:29 PM, and Mario and friends are approaching the entrance to Starborn Valley, a small place with three buildings inhabited by multiple Star Kids like Twink, except they were raised here before being summoned to the Star Road.

"This may not sound true, but what if all the Star Kids here are Twink's brothers and sisters?" Luigi asked.

"That's possible. But there's a chance they're not related to Twink at all," Mario replied while looking around the village. "They do look cute, though." Before the group could go and talk with some of the Star Kids, Luigi noticed a Shaman wizard with a similar appearance to Merlon standing outside the middle building.

"There's Merle over there," Luigi said, prompting everyone to approach Merle.

"Hello, Merle," Mario greeted Merle. "If you don't know already, I'm Mario, and this is my brother Luigi and our friend Bombette."

"Well, thank you all for coming over," Merle thanked the group. He spoke with an Irish accent.

"What is it with you and your relatives talking as if you're from the United Kingdom?" Mario asked.

"What do you mean?" Merle asked.

"It's another land located in another world," Mario explained. "Your father has a similar accent, but it's British instead of your Irish version."

"Ah. I see. How strange of you to think of us from that United Kingdom land or whatever it is," Merle said. "Anyway, let's go into my house. I cannot concentrate out here in the cold."

Merle led Mario and friends into his house's living room and had them sit on the couch next to the fireplace.

"Oh, that feels good," Mario sighed to himself as the fire slowly warmed him, Luigi, and Bombette up.

"Now, Mario, Luigi, and Bombette, you must heed well what I'm about to tell you," Merle began. "This frozen area is called Starborn Valley. It is named this because it is here that Stars are born and raised before rising to the sky. But now, ever since Bowser stole the Star Rod from the Star Road, the power of that place has weakened, and Star Kids have found themselves unable to rise up into the sky."

"I sent a Ninji to my father, Merlon, hoping that I could coax you to come here, for I have found out where the last Star Spirit is. It came to me in a dream. A vision of the last Star Spirit begging me for help," Merle went on. "If my vision speaks truly, then the last Star Spirit is being held atop Shiver Mountain, which lies to the north. Up top sits the Crystal Palace. The Star Spirit waits there. The Crystal Palace was originally built to honor the Stars, but as time passed, it slowly faded from the memories of local people. And now, no one can remember how to reach the palace. There is a way, though, and it involves items that have been passed down in these lands."

"Such as what?" Luigi asked.

"Let's start with a scarf I have in my winter clothing chest." Merle quickly went to a chest near the front door and selected an orange scarf before giving it to Mario. "This scarf has been passed down through many generations in Starborn Valley. I wish I knew how to use it, but I do not. According to the legends, you must use this and another item that has been passed down in Shiver City if you hope to open the way to the Crystal Palace. Sadly, that's all I know."

"If things remain as they are, Star Kids will never again be able to rise to the Star Road. Such a fate would be awful," Merle continued. "Please. You must help them before expelling Bowser from the sky."

"Thank you, Merle," Mario thanked Merle. "We'll do what we can."

"Brilliant, Mario. Before you go, I have something else that explains the importance of the Crystal Palace. There is supposed to be a small shrine somewhere along the path to the Crystal Palace. A legend has been handed down in this valley regarding the shrine's secret, "Truth lies not only in the eyes. Sometimes, even walls may lie.'"

"It is confusing, yes, but you must find this shrine and solve its mystery to reach the Crystal Palace. Never forget it," Merle reminded the group.

"All right-y. Thanks again," Mario said before leading Luigi and Bombette out of Merle's house on their way back to Shiver City; Luigi left the magic wand on Merle's winter clothing chest before leaving. There were no enemies standing in the way this time, as they were defeated earlier.

After another eight minutes, the group saw a fork in the path with one branching off to the right. It led to six snowmen in front of a giant wall; they each bore their respective orange scarfs and blue bucket hats. However, the snowman on the far right lacked a bucket hat while the third snowman from the left lacked a scarf.

"Hmm... I understand why we need the scarf and a bucket from Shiver City," Luigi remarked. While looking at the snowmen, Mario slowly became anxious because he realized how rude he was at Herringway and the mayor's wife.

"Uh, Luigi?" Mario asked as he, Luigi, and Bombette started off toward Shiver City. "I need to do something before we find the bucket."

"What's wrong, bro?"

"I need to apologize to Herringway and the mayor's wife."

"Why? I thought we were over that," Luigi said.

"No. I have to do it," Mario responded. He felt his anxiety grow bigger, giving him a minor headache.

"No, you don't. Forget it, Mario," Luigi argued. At the same time, Mario teared up.

"NO! YOU'RE NOT STOPPING ME!" Mario screamed before running ahead, letting a bunch of tears roll down his face.

"Don't! Mario, get back here!" But Mario didn't listen to Luigi and barged through the archway and stopped to think where Herringway's house was. After determining it was the second building from the archway, he kicked opened the door, finding Herringway taking notes on his desk.

"Herringway!" Mario cried, startling Herringway.

"Hey! What are you doing, Mario?!" Herringway exclaimed. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I don't care! I'm sorry I accused you of that stupid murder mystery or whatever that cop made up!"

"It doesn't matter anymore. That-"

"STOP! IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL YOU FORGIVE ME!"

"Okay. I accept your apology. Jeezums," Herringway gave in. "Are you happy now?"

"NO! THE MAYOR'S WIFE NEEDS ME TOO!" Mario suddenly ran out of Herringway's house toward the mayor's home. By that time, Luigi and Bombette arrived in Shiver City and saw Herringway's front door open.

"What did Mario do?" Bombette questioned while Herringway shut his door.

"I didn't tell you this, but Mario has anxiety and temper problems and blows his stack when things don't go the way he wants them too," Luigi sighed. "I'm really sorry."

* * *

Meanwhile, Mario continued to storm toward the mayor's house and found the door locked. Not wanting to be patient and wait for someone to open the door, he pounded it three times before busting it down, startling the mayor.

"What the heck?! Who broke the door?!" the mayor shouted. He rushed to the living room to see Mario panting before collapsing to his knees, sobbing harder than when Jr. Troopa injured his ears. "Mario? Why did you-"

But Mario interrupted the mayor, "D-don't...ask... W-where's y-your...w-wife...?"

"What is wrong with you?" the mayor asked. "You can't break my door just to come and ask for help."

"I-it's...n-not h-help..." Mario whimpered. "I-I w-want...to s-see h-her... I-I w-was rude...to h-her..."

"All right. Do you want me to get my wife?"

"P-please..." While the mayor went upstairs to find his wife, Mario looked at the door; the hinges were ripped clean and there were a few dents on the door. Mario carried the broken door and set it against the doorway.

"I know Mario's crazy, but come on. He feels bad about yelling at you," the mayor said to his wife while going back to the living room. Mario had dropped to his knees again.

* * *

At the same time, Luigi and Bombette tiptoed to the mayor's house and peeked through a small opening in the doorway.

"I knew Mario was gonna break the door..." Luigi whispered with concern.

* * *

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M CRAZY?!" Mario yelled at the mayor and his wife. "I WANTED TO APOLOGIZE FOR BEING RUDE, MA'AM!"

"Calm down, Mario. Take a seat, please." The wife sat Mario on a couch next to the fireplace while the mayor gave him a tissue box.

"First off, you're gonna lose your voice screaming like that," the wife said.

"I-I'm...s-sorry...f-for breaking th-the door...a-and b-being r-rude..." Mario cried. "I-I'm a...h-horrible p-person...!"

"No, you're not." The wife laid her flipper on Mario's shoulder. "I understand you did it because I declared who the murderer was when the policeman was trying to work things out one by one."

"I-I'll p-pay for...the d-door..." Mario said before blowing his nose.

"I appreciate you wanting to help fix the door, but don't worry about it. My husband has the money to buy a new one."

"O-okay..."

"Do you want some water while you're here?" the wife asked.

"N-no... I g-got w-what...I wanted..." Mario replied.

"All right. Suit yourself. But next time, don't barge into someone's house like that just to make amends."

"I-I'm sorry... I c-can't c-control...my t-temper..." Mario slowly got up and walked out of the house, making sure the door stayed within the doorway.

"You got that out of your system?" Luigi asked.

"Yes... I'll pay for the door after we save Princess Peach..." Mario answered; he had calmed down a small bit.

"You're so lucky the cops didn't arrest you. I had to talk to the chief and explain why you were freaking out. You don't want to go to jail for breaking and entering, Mario." Luigi proceeded to go into the mayor's house as he still needed the bucket for the snowman beyond the city.

"Well, hello, Luigi," the mayor greeted Luigi. "I assume you and Mario made it to Starborn Valley? Did you see Merle?"

"Yes, we did," Luigi replied. "Merle said something about an item that was passed down in Shiver City."

"Hmm..." The mayor mulled it over before remembering what Luigi was talking about. "Oh, right! There was something like that. Just a minute, I think I've got it somewhere." Within a half-minute, the mayor searched his storage closet and found a blue bucket in the back of the closet.

"Aha! There we go." The mayor took the bucket and gave it to Luigi. "This bucket has been passed down through the years in Shiver City. As Merle must have told you, there's a legend associated with it. If you use this and the orange scarf together, the way to the Crystal Palace will open."

"Who knows what all that means, though?" the mayor went on. "I don't have the slightest clue as to how to use them together. It sounds like those Star Kids in Starborn Valley are in trouble. I hope you do your best for the little tykes. They're just kids. Best of luck to you!"

"Thanks, Mayor. I'm really sorry Mario barged into your house," Luigi said.

"It's all good, Luigi. I understand why Mario was upset." Luigi walked out of the house before leading Mario and Bombette out of Shiver City. What will happen when they put the scarf and bucket on the snowmen that lacked one of each?


	42. Shiver Mountain

**Chapter 42: Shiver Mountain**

"If only those snowmen resembled Frosty," Mario remarked while he, Luigi, and Bombette approached the six snowmen again. "To me, wearing a bucket instead of a silk hat sounds ridiculous."

"Yeah. And there's no button nose, coal eyes, or corncob pipe," Luigi pointed out after stopping in front of the snowmen, which had black and red stones comprising the eyes and nose, respectively.

"Who's Frosty?" Bombette asked while Mario placed the bucket on the snowman with no hat.

"It's the name of this snowman in an old cartoon movie that me and Luigi watched when we were kids," Mario replied. "Even though the movie was fun and all, I got mixed emotions at certain parts."

Meanwhile, Luigi carefully placed the scarf around the bare-necked snowman, making sure to tie it so it wouldn't fall off. Seconds later, the ground began to rumble a small bit, prompting everyone to back away. The rumbling grew stronger and the line of snowmen split in half before an ice-textured door rose from the center and slowly opened.

"I hope it's an easy climb," Luigi said. "But then again, there might be some hidden traps we won't see." The first area Mario and friends entered was a tunnel with a rock ceiling, icy walls, and a snow-covered staircase that ascended the side of Shiver Mountain. There were more Gulpits and Frost Piranhas that had to be dealt with, but it was worth it in the end because there was a Yellow Question Mark Block at the end of the tunnel.

Inside the block was a Flame Flower, which resembled a whitish-pink daisy with black eyes. However, it didn't transform Mario or Luigi into their Fire form. Instead, it acted like a blowtorch to set most things on fire. Luigi took the powerup for himself and tested it by pressing both leaves down for one second.

"That's weird," Luigi said while stowing his Flame Flower in his overalls pocket. "I didn't think this flower would spit fire." After leaving the tunnel, the group saw they were high up after looking down the side of Shiver Mountain; their position was somewhere around 9,000 feet above sea level.

"I never thought the Shiver region would be as high as Colorado," Mario commented. "But skiing down this mountain is more like a death sentence than a fun experience." After 15 minutes, there was a gap that was too long to jump across normally. Luckily, Mario and Luigi did their Spin Jump technique with Bombette clinging to Luigi's ankle.

Suddenly, as Bombette let go of Luigi's ankle before the Mario Bros. touched down, a duplicate of Bombette popped out of her after hitting the ground. Mario and Luigi turned to see the two Bombettes and immediately became confused.

"What...? Why are there two of you?" Mario asked the two Bombettes. The one in front turned to see the one behind her. They stared at each other for a couple seconds and screamed with shock.

"What's wrong with my hair?!" the first Bombette exclaimed. "You look just like me! Who are you really, impostor? State your name!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm Bombette!" the second Bombette answered. "Now, the question is: who are YOU?"

"Wha- What?! That's absurd! I'm the one and only Bombette! Not you!" the first Bombette shouted.

"Enough of your crazy and nonsensical talk. I'm Bombette, and you can zip it because that's the end of it."

Meanwhile, Mario let out a sigh of irritation. "I want to swear so bad, but I can't do it in front of Bombette..."

"I know you want to," Luigi replied. "But I agree you shouldn't. Let's just see which Bombette is real."

"Come on, guys!" the second Bombette told Mario and Luigi. "You know me! This lady's a dirty liar!"

"How dare you call me a dirty liar?!" the first Bombette scolded the second one. "Mario and Luigi, don't you recognize me? I'm your best friend of all the people!"

Not wanting to hear the two Bombettes bicker anymore, Mario slowly took out his hammer, but the Bombettes didn't notice it initially.

"I said, 'Zip it!', you moron!" the second Bombette retorted the first one. "I'M their best friend! No more from you!"

"Oh, we'll see about-" Suddenly, the first Bombette noticed Mario threatening both Bombettes with his hammer. "WHOA! HEY, NOW!"

"WHAT'S THE HAMMER FOR?!" the second Bombette cried.

"I don't want to hurt you both, but I will if I have to," Mario said with tranquil anger. "I'm this close to going berserk."

"No! You wouldn't hit me!" the first Bombette pleaded. "I thought you were a nice guy!"

"Please, Mario! Please put the hammer down!" the second Bombette said with fear. Both Bombettes shivered while Mario glanced up and down at both.

"Don't do it, bro..." Luigi whispered.

After five seconds, Mario threw the hammer at the first Bombette, turning her into a Duplighost. Luigi sighed with relief that the impostor was revealed.

"Yeeeow! What made you think that I was the one lying, huh?" the Duplighost demanded.

"I don't know," Mario replied while taking a deep breath. "But do me a favor and leave for good."

"Just remember I'll trick you next time!" the Duplighost threatened Bombette before disappearing.

"Thank goodness you chose not to hurt me," Bombette said. "I was so worried right there."

"I'm sorry, Bombette," Mario apologized while patting Bombette's head. "It almost got to me completely."

"It's okay, Mario," Bombette said before nuzzling Mario's arm. "Let's keep going to that shrine." Without further ado, the group proceeded down the mountain trail again, battling white Clubbas along the way. At one point, there was another tunnel with three Yellow Question Mark Blocks.

The left one contained a Fire Flower, the middle one contained ten Coins, and the right one contained a Dizzy Dial. The Dizzy Dial resembled a blue spiral and can be used to daze enemies temporarily. Mario took the Fire Flower while Luigi took the Dizzy Dial.

Eventually, Mario and friends came across a shallow pit with an icy pedestal on the left-hand side just short of the edge. There was a star-shaped indent on the top of the pedestal. Mario looked at the pedestal before gazing up at the sky and down the pit. At the same time, Bombette noticed a couple cracks in the wall in front.

"I wonder what's behind that wall," Bombette wondered out loud.

"I hope it's the shrine," Mario said before he, Luigi, and Bombette jumped down the pit and walked to the cracked wall. Bombette then blew herself up, forming a hole in the wall. The hole led to a small room with crystallized stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Near the wall in front was a diamond with a star-shaped stone inside it.

"This looks nice," Luigi said while looking around the shrine. Suddenly, the diamond started to sparkle, and an apparition of a female Shaman wizard faded into view and hovered above the diamond.

"At last... It is Mario and Luigi," the wizard stated. She spoke with a Scottish accent. "I'm so glad you found this place. I've been expecting you two."

"How did you know it was us?" Mario asked.

"Let me tell you who I am first. My name is Madam Merlar. I am a messenger of the Stars. You know Merlon and Merle well, don't you?"

"Yeah. We've spoke with both," Luigi answered.

"Good. I'm their ancestor," Madam Merlar said. "The Stars spoke to me of you through my dreams, and they said you would come to the shrine on Shiver Mountain. It is here that I guard the way to the Crystal Palace. We have little time to waste, so listen carefully."

"You may not know this, but the followers of Bowser have invaded Crystal Palace, where stars are honored," Madam Merlar went on. "Now, what I have to tell you is very important. Listen to every word I say."

"Okay," Mario responded.

"Before I tell you, Mario and Luigi, I am going to tell you the short version so as to not make you fall asleep by accident. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Mario and Luigi answered.

"The story begins a long time ago," Madam Merlar began. "I was still a young woman back then. In fact, it was two generations ago before my current descendants were born. The Shiver region was the original home of the Shaman wizards, and there was silent peace all around. During each night, we would look up at the Stars and admire the different constellations they formed. Over time, one Shaman predicted that the Stars were not ordinary stars. They were ones that granted every wish every being wished about."

"That prediction would come true one generation later, when I became a middle-aged woman. The Stars began falling from the sky once we began wishing whatever we wanted. How did the wishing stars begin falling? No one knows. But just because the Stars disappear from the sky once these wishes were granted, it doesn't mean the sky will be empty eventually. They reappear again and again every night."

"Because we look up to the Stars as if they were gods from above, the Shamans decided to construct a palace made of ice in honor of the Stars," Madam Merlar continued. "While taking up ice to build the walls, floors, and ceilings, the Shamans would discover fallen Stars whose wishes have been granted and turn them into busts with their respective wishes inscribed on their pedestals. The palace was named the Crystal Palace shortly after its construction was finished. Several Shamans relocated to the palace to guard the honored Stars and bask in their glory. And it stayed that way for another generation before I passed, and my descendants took over."

"But a horrible event happened not too long ago. The evil King Bowser and his men invaded the Crystal Palace with one of the seven honorable Star Spirits in their clutches. Among Bowser's men was a Shaman who turned himself to Bowser's army after discovering that Bowser's wishes could change the world; he would name himself the Crystal King. Bowser's wishes would begin to be granted following the stealing of the Star Rod and the Star Spirits."

"The Shaman guardians perished while fending off Bowser's army and the army destroyed the Star busts before leaving the Crystal King in charge of guarding the Crystal Palace. The last thing the army did was lock up the palace, leaving the other Shamans with no hope of their wishes being granted. Luckily, Merlon, one of my first descendants managed to hide the Star Stone, which is the one and only key to access the Crystal Palace. If it were not for Merlon, then our purpose would be diminished over time."

"All of the Shamans including me seek your help to get the Crystal King and his army out of the Crystal Palace and restore faith to the palace," Madam Merlar said. "It will be then that we will resume our honoring of the Stars from above. Did you get all of that?"

"Absolutely," Mario answered. "I'll tell you, that was quite the story."

"I agree," Luigi chimed in. "Who would've known wizards like you would honor the Stars for many generations?"

"We most certainly do," Madam Merlar stated. "As I was saying, you need the Star Stone to reach the palace. I'll give it to you." The Star Stone slowly levitated out of the diamond and floated into Mario's hands. Mario then placed the Star Stone in his overalls pocket.

"With this stone, you can open the way to the Crystal Palace," Madam Merlar explained. "I dear hope you will help us Shamans during your adventure. Make haste, Mario and Luigi, for time is running low. Good luck," Madam Merlar suddenly faded out of view, leaving Mario and friends by themselves.

"All right-y, guys," Mario told Luigi and Bombette. "Everyone is counting on us. We are their only hope for the Stars to be restored."

"Crystal Palace, here we come," Luigi said before he led Mario and Bombette out of the shrine, back to the pedestal with the star-shaped indent. Mario placed the Star Stone in the pedestal, creating a tall, icy staircase that reached a height of six stories. The group climbed the staircase, battling several white Clubbas along the way, and went inside another tunnel at the top.

The trek through the tunnel lasted ten minutes before the group came across an ice-layered blue door. It was the entrance to the Crystal Palace, which contains the seventh and final Star Spirit. What will await Mario and friends inside the palace?

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**The Flame Flower was based off the Fire Flower item from **_**Super Smash Bros. Melee**_**. I find it weird that that version of the Fire Flower does not resemble the one we've known for all this time.**


	43. Crystal Palace

**Chapter 43: Crystal Palace**

It's 4:45 PM, and Mario, Luigi, and Bombette have just entered the Crystal Palace. The group took a minute to look around the first room, whose walls had blue wallpaper with white stars, the floor being made of clear crystal, and four whitish blue pillars at each corner. There was also a large glass wall in the middle separating the room into two halves.

"Wow. This looks like a castle foyer," Luigi remarked. Suddenly, he saw Mario tearing up while looking at the walls. "Mario? Are you all right-y?"

"Umm... I-I..." Mario trembled.

"Is it because of the layout of this room? I can tell you love it."

"N-no... I s-still f-feel...b-bad about...B-Bombette..." Mario lowered his head to the ground, making Bombette feel sorry for him.

"Don't cry, Mario," Bombette coaxed Mario. "I know you would never intentionally harm a friend like me." Mario kneeled and lightly hugged Bombette.

"I-I'm...s-sorry..." Mario whimpered. "I w-want to f-forget about...it n-now... B-but..."

"Here. Let's sit down for a second." Luigi led Mario to the bottom-right pillar and sat down with him; Bombette stood to Mario's left. They took a five-minute break before Mario had calmed down completely and was ready to move on.

"Which door do we go through first?" Mario asked. He saw two white doors on the north and south ends as well as two red doors on the east side. The red doors were locked, meaning the group had to find the keys to unlock them. In addition, there were two red switches in front of the doors. But the glass wall forced the group to start with the bottom half of the room. What Mario, Luigi, and Bombette didn't know was that there were duplicates of each of them on the other side of the wall.

The south door led an empty hall with a red X near the door in front. Mario became perplexed and didn't know what the X meant but decided to press on into the next room. There were a couple Swoopulas flying around that tend to suck their prey's blood like bats; Mario and friends obviously took the Swoopulas out before they could attack.

In the next room was a tall block of ice with a blue key encased inside.

"Why is there a blue key?" Luigi asked. "I thought the door was red." Nonetheless, Luigi took out his Flame Flower and melted the ice to retrieve the blue key.

"Maybe if I pound that red switch, would the red door turn blue?" Mario wondered out loud.

"Let's-a go see," Luigi answered. After going back to the foyer, Mario hit the bottom switch, turning both red doors and the switches blue in a split second. Mario immediately unlocked the bottom blue door and led Luigi and Bombette into the next room.

The glass wall extended through the middle again, separating the real group from the duplicates. Before noticing a crack on the wall in front, Mario saw the duplicates out the corner of his eye.

"Guys?" Mario asked with confusion. "What are those?"

"They're us, bro," Luigi answered. "It's probably a mirror."

"I don't know... They might be something else..." Mario decided to forget it for now and had Bombette blow up the cracked wall before moving on. In the next room, Mario looked around with knowing it and saw the wall on the top-left end was intact with its cracks.

"Wait... Why is...?" Mario started to say. "I don't know...if..."

"Me neither, bro," Luigi responded. At the end of the bottom half was a Brick Block with a Hammer Suit powerup, which Mario took for himself. The other Brick Block on the other side was untouched. Luckily, there was an opening near the middle of the glass wall. The other Brick Block contained 10 Coins, which Luigi collected. Next, Bombette blew up the other cracked wall and beckoned the Mario Bros. to follow her.

Suddenly, the group came across the duplicates standing in front, shocking the first Mario.

"Mamma mia! Mario's here!" the second Mario shouted.

"Not good! We better fight them!" the second Luigi declared. A couple seconds later, the duplicates turned into three Duplighosts and fought Mario, Luigi, and Bombette. The Duplighosts were kind of easy to beat, but they managed to turn into the group's individual duplicates. But the real ones knew who they were battling and won against the Duplighosts.

Mario and friends arrived back in the foyer on the other side of the glass wall. The good news was there were no duplicates on the south side. The north door led to an empty room with a wooden board on the far end. Mario ground pounded the board, falling into a small room with a yellow trampoline. Mario went back up to the next floor and went with Luigi and Bombette back into the foyer and through the top blue door again.

The group then made their way to the glass wall with the opening in the middle and walked back to the foyer before going through the south door again. This time, the red X was gone, revealing a hole leading to a lower floor.

"How did this happen?" Mario asked himself. He knew Luigi and Bombette wouldn't know the answer, so the group went down into a room with another trampoline and made their way through the next section to a cracked wall.

"So far, so good," Luigi remarked. "Nothing to worry about, Mario." Bombette then blew up the wall in front, but before the group could go any further, five Bombettes appeared from behind, shocking Mario even more than earlier.

"No!" Mario cried, remembering what happened with the real Bombette before meeting Madam Merlar. "This can't be happening!"

"What? Who are all of you?" the first Bombette asked. "You're all trying to look like me!" She turned to Mario and Luigi. "Mario and Luigi, don't tell me you can't tell which one is the real Bombette. You can tell, right?" Luigi shook his head while Mario stood still.

"Hey, I heard that! You're spreading lies, you impostor! I'm the real Bombette!" the second Bombette announced. Mario's heart started pounding fast.

"Oh, absolutely not!" the third Bombette disagreed. "Guys, look carefully at me and you'll know. I'm the real Bombette. It can only be me. These others are all liars." Luigi started thinking which Bombette was real, but Mario still didn't move and was shaking.

"I'm the one! Mario! Luigi! Me! Don't fall for these tricks! I'll blow you up if you do!" the fourth Bombette shouted. Mario's breath shallowed and he started to tear up again.

"Look... I'm the real Bombette..." the fifth Bombette said. "Please... Trust your eyes and look at me... I'm not lying..."

Finally, Mario broke and sobbed really hard. "I CAN'T DO IT! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS PUZZLE! I'LL MAKE YOU CRY!"

"You have no choice, Mario," Luigi told Mario. "It's the only way."

Even though he was still crying, Mario walked up to the five Bombettes and took his hammer out. "I-I...d-don't w-want...to..." Mario stuttered. "I-I'm s-sorry..." After ten seconds, Mario threw his hammer at the third Bombette, which happened to be the real one.

"AAGGHH!" Bombette cried with pain; the other four Bombettes turned into Duplighosts and cackled briefly before disappearing. Luigi cupped his hands over his mouth while Mario ran up to the hurt Bombette. She was crying just as hard as Mario.

"Why?!" Bombette sobbed. "Why did you hurt me?!"

"I-I d-didn't...m-mean to...!" Mario replied before hugging Bombette. "T-this is...s-so morbid...!"

"What is going on...?" Luigi whispered to himself. "Who is setting us up...?" While Mario comforted Bombette, Luigi went into the next room and found a red key encased in an ice block. He used the Flame Flower again, but it only melted three quarters of the ice because all the flames were used up. Luigi threw the flower at the ice, melting it even more before disappearing. Luigi pounded the remaining ice with both fists to release the key, which he took for himself.

By the time Luigi rejoined Mario, he saw Watt floating next to him. Mario swapped both partners to allow Bombette to chill out.

"How is he, Watt?" Luigi asked.

"Still upset," Watt answered. "I don't know if he'll feel better." She turned to Mario. "Please get up. We need to keep going."

Mario reluctantly got up and led Luigi and Watt back into the foyer. Knowing Mario needed to calm down more, Luigi hit the bottom switch with Mario's hammer, turning the blue switches and doors red again. Luigi unlocked the bottom door, which also unlocked the top door. The group proceeded through two rooms, stopping in front of three White Clubba guarding one of two small bridges above a bottomless pit. Three Clubba statues blocked the bridge on the top half.

Luigi and Watt worked together to fight the Clubbas; doing so made the Clubba statues disappear, allowing access to the top door; there was no bottom door in this room. The glass wall in the previous section had a big opening in the middle, which the group went through to go across the top bridge and into the next room. By now, Mario had nearly composed himself completely.

"Okay. I'd like to lead you guys now," Mario said before Luigi went behind Mario. The next room had a revolving door that can be activated using one of two red switches on the top and bottom half. Mario hammered the top switch before moving to the bottom half with Luigi and Watt. There were several cracks on the top half's right wall and a door at end of the bottom half, but the group decided to go through the door first.

After defeating a white Clubba in the center, a Duplighost appeared on the top half, but Mario and friends didn't see it yet. Even though there was a door in front, Mario stopped to think for a bit.

"It might sound stupid, but I want to see what's at the top half first," Mario said.

"Go right ahead," Luigi responded. Mario went back to the room with the revolving door and hammer the bottom switch to go back to the top half. Mario swapped Watt with Bombette but stopped to examine her head for a second.

"How hurt are you?" Mario asked Bombette.

"I'm okay now," Bombette replied. "The pain went away pretty quick, which is weird." Mario then had Bombette blow up the cracked wall and swapped her with Watt again before leading Watt and Luigi into the top half of the room in front. The group took care of the Duplighost before it could start its disguising technique. As there was nothing ahead, Mario and friends went back to the bottom half through the revolving door and went through two rooms before stopping.

"How long is this palace?" Mario asked.

"I don't know. But I DO know we've spent more time than I originally thought of," Luigi answered. Then, Mario noticed himself, Luigi, and Watt on the top half standing still.

The real group walked slowly with Mario paying attention to the duplicates, who walked in unison. Surprisingly, the duplicate Mario stared back at the real Mario, causing him to jump back a bit.

"I seriously don't like this place..." Mario murmured. "This is getting scarier for me..."

"Mario, it's not a haunted house," Luigi reassured Mario. On the other end, the duplicate Mario and Luigi talked with each simultaneously. "You're doing fine."

At the end of the room was a small hole that even Mario or Luigi couldn't crawl through. Mario decided to swap Watt with Goombario for this small task.

"Goombario, see if there's a way to break this wall open," Mario instructed Goombario. "You think you can fit under there?"

Goombario gazed through the hole briefly. "I think so. Let me try." Unbeknownst to the real group, the duplicate Goombario went inside the hole at the same time the real one did. However, the duplicate walked back to the duplicate Mario and back through the hole again and again while the real Goombario didn't come back.

Mario couldn't feel anything as he was getting creeped out more and more. Meanwhile, Luigi simply became confused at what was going on.

Suddenly, the wall blew open and what appeared to be Goompa, Dr. Kolorado, Yellow Yoshi, Goombario, and Daniel T. ran toward Mario and Luigi. At the same time, the duplicate Goombario came running in and out of the hole on the top end with the duplicate Mario and Luigi doing nothing.

Mario clasped his hands on his head, beginning to go through another headache episode.

"Hey, Mario and Luigi! I'm the real Goombario. But of course, you know that, don't you, old boys?" Dr. Kolorado asked.

"Mario and Luigi! Look at me! I'm the real deal! Nobody else looks like Goombario," Goompa declared.

"What is...? How are...?" Luigi started to ask. Mario, on the other hand, began feeling nauseous and held his stomach with his right hand.

"Hey, come on! I'm Goombario! This is so ridiculous!" Yellow Yoshi said. Mario's hands started tingling and he took his gloves off before clutching his stomach again. He was going through a panic attack similar to what Luigi went through at Boo's Mansion.

"I'm the real Goombario, guys. You believe me, don't you?" Goombario questioned. Then, Mario's chest started hurting and Mario held it with his left hand. He was also beginning to sweat and breathe way too fast.

"I'm the real Goombario," Daniel T. stated. "There isn't any doubt in your mind, is there? Hello?"

"Well... What do I-" Luigi started before everyone but Mario interrupted him by speaking one over another.

"Hey, old bean. You'd best take out these impostors." "Yeah, do that." "Guys, would you hurt them all except me?" "Come on! Fight the impostors!" "Listen to me!"

Finally, Mario loudly retched and vomited all over the floor, silencing everybody. Luigi turned to see Mario fall on his knees and nearly slipped on the vomit before keeping himself upright. He then turned back to the others with an angry look on his face after taking Mario's hammer.

"If you all just shut up for ten freaking seconds, let me pick who's the real Goombario!" Luigi yelled. "You're literally killing my brother!"

"I'm sorry." "Can we just end this?" "Please forgive me." "Enough whining!" "Make a move now!" Goompa, Yellow Yoshi, Goombario, Daniel T., and Dr. Kolorado said before they resumed shouting one over another. Luigi took five seconds to think it through before throwing the hammer at Goompa, Goombario, Yellow Yoshi, and Dr. Kolorado in rapid succession, turning them all into Duplighosts; Daniel T. then turned into the real Goombario.

"Well, this sucks." "I don't know how you did it, but you found me out!" "Gosh dang it to heck!" "Remember me because I will return!" the Duplighosts said simultaneously before disappearing. Suddenly, Mario collapsed to his left side and his cap fell off his head.

"NO! MARIO!" Luigi cried before he and Goombario approached Mario.

"What do we do?!" Goombario demanded.

"Don't talk! Let me handle him!" Luigi grabbed Mario's cap and gloves and hung him over his left shoulder before hurrying into the next room with two doors on the north and south end and two east doors on either side of the glass wall. Luigi carefully laid Mario on his back next to the glass wall; his head and palms were drenched in sweat.

"Goombario, go see what's in the right and front rooms," Luigi ordered Goombario, who immediately ran though the south door. Meanwhile, Luigi tended to Mario and cradled his head for a couple minutes before Mario slowly woke up.

"Ugh... Wh- Where... What..." Mario groaned.

"Shh. It's okay, bro," Luigi shushed Mario. "Relax."

* * *

While Luigi comforted Mario, Goombario discovered a giant Albino Dino statue in the south room and looked at it for a couple seconds before going back out and through the east door and through two rooms before he stopped at an opening through the glass wall's middle. He went to the top half and made his way to the north door where he saw a smaller Albino Dino statue.

"What do I do?" Goombario asked himself. Finally, he decided to push the statue to the end of the room and ran back the way he came toward the room with the other statue. A hole leading to a lower level was revealed, complete with a yellow trampoline. The next hall had a couple Swoopulas that Goombario defeated easily before finding a gray key with a red stone in the center. He took the key and went back up to where Mario and Luigi were sitting.

"Luigi, I found a key," Goombario said while taking out the key.

"Not now, Goombario," Luigi whispered. "Let Mario relax for a while. I don't know how long but bear with me."

Goombario walked next to the bottom east door and sat in the corner while Luigi gently held Mario's head; Mario took deep breaths while looking at the ceiling. He couldn't say anything due to being exhausted from his panic attack.

What will happen after Mario recovers completely? Will he and his partners be able to defeat the Crystal King and rescue the last Star Spirit?


	44. Vs Crystal King

**Chapter 44: Vs. Crystal King**

It's been 20 minutes since Mario went through a panic attack due to all the stress building up from the Duplighosts' trickeries. He slowly picked himself back up and put his cap and gloves back on.

"Are you sure you're fine, Mario?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah. I'm 90% sure," Mario replied. "But after this, I'm never going inside a palace like this one again."

"I hope we don't." With hesitation, Mario led Luigi and Goombario to the room with the glass wall's middle cut open. In addition, the two doors on the top and bottom half were locked.

Since Goombario found the key earlier, he unlocked the bottom half's door, which also unlocked the top half's door.

"Luigi and Goombario, you go through the right door, and I'll take the left door," Mario instructed Luigi and Goombario.

Inside the final room before the exit, there were three Albino Dino statues on the top half and three real Albino Dinos on the bottom half. And there were three gold squares in a line on both halves.

After scanning the statues and Albino Dinos for a couple seconds, Mario became confused immediately. "What is this puzzle?!"

"I'll try to ask this white dinosaur," Luigi responded before saying to the leftmost Albino Dino, "Hey. Can you help us, please?"

"You can't go through here unless you solve the puzzle. Once you solve the puzzle, we'll let you through," the Albino Dino answered.

"Give me a second, Mario," Luigi said. He took a moment to look at the statues and the Albino Dinos even more than what Mario did. "Try pushing the left statue forward a bit."

Mario pushed the leftmost statue a couple feet, causing the leftmost Albino Dino to move too. Both were just short of the left gold square; however, the statue was above its square while the Albino Dino was below its square. Again, everyone stopped to mull it over.

Suddenly, Goombario came up with an idea. "Mario! I think I got it!"

"What is it?" Mario asked.

"You see the statue you pushed? It's above that gold square on your end. The white dinosaur next to Luigi is below its square."

"Can I just push the statue?"

"Try it."

Mario attempted to push the statue toward the square, but it didn't budge. Before he could complain about it not working, Mario thought of something else.

"Wait. Luigi, touch the right side of that dinosaur."

Luigi poked the right side of the Albino Dino's head; in response, it turned to face Luigi. "Whoa! That's creepy! Look at its face!"

What Luigi didn't notice was that the statue turned left toward the glass wall. Mario immediately pushed the statue onto the gold square and ran to the middle statue.

"Do it again, Luigi!" Mario called out, finally figuring out how to move the statues properly. Luigi touched the middle Albino Dino's back from behind, and it turned to face Luigi. Mario pushed the respective statue right until it was above the top half's middle gold square. Finally, Luigi touched the Albino Dino's left side before Mario pushed the statue onto the gold square.

To finish it off, Luigi touched the rightmost Albino Dino's back from behind, prompting Mario to push the respective statue right until it was above the top half's right gold square. Luigi then touched the Albino's right side before Mario pushed the statue onto the right gold square. Right as Mario let go of the statue, a red-carpeted staircase rose from the ground and stopped at a white door on the top half. Luigi and Goombario rejoined Mario before they went up the stairs and exited the Crystal Palace.

Mario breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they made it out unscathed. "Finally! No more clones again!"

"We still have to fight the Crystal King," Luigi reminded Mario.

"I know." Mario took a few seconds to think which partner he wanted to help him and Luigi fight the Crystal King. He decided to swap Goombario with Spike.

"You ready for more action, Spike?" Mario asked.

"I'm ready. Who am I battling now?" Spike questioned.

"You'll see." Mario led Luigi and Spike toward a tall snowy platform, which had nothing on it.

"Who comes to my palace?!" an unknown elderly voice called out. Seconds later, a Shaman with a blue crown with red stones, a blue mustache, and an indigo cloak with white cufflinks appeared in front of the group.

"Mario and Luigi... You finally arrived!" the Crystal King announced.

"You must be the Shaman that joined Bowser's army!" Mario pointed out.

"Right, you are! Those Shiver region wizards are worthless to me! Hehehe!" the Crystal King chuckled. "I know you believe you can save the Star Spirit, but I'm afraid I won't let you."

"Oh, you will in a couple minutes," Luigi boasted.

"No, I shall not!" the Crystal King argued. "After I defeat you two and your partner, I shall present King Bowser with three iced gifts to put in his freezer!" Without further ado, the battle commenced.

The Crystal King's first move was to summon three angry-looking ice cubes, called Crystal Bits, that floated alongside him.

"What are you gonna do with those ice cubes? Hit us with them?" Mario taunted. "I'd rather fill my drink with them!"

"Well, since you have no cup, how about you open your mouth for me?" the Crystal King offered. He sucked the Crystal Bits into his cloak and spat them hard at Mario; Mario punched and destroyed the Crystal Bits with ease. Next, Luigi leapt high enough to maneuver himself above the Crystal King's head before ground pounding him. As a result, the Crystal King fell over on his back as if he slipped on an icy surface.

"Why didn't you get squashed like those Goombas?" Luigi asked.

"I'm no Goomba!" the Crystal King boomed. "That's why! You think you can stomp me like that?"

Before Spike could have his turn to attack, the Crystal King leaned back a bit before shooting a bolt of ice at Mario, who managed to dodge it at the last second.

"Well, I got to commend your quick reflexes, Mario," the Crystal King said. "But I know you'll tire yourself out eventually so I can freeze you for real." Again, the Crystal King summoned three more Crystal Bits.

Spike took the short opportunity to throw a barrage of Spiny Eggs at the Crystal King and his Crystal Bits, destroying the Crystal Bits before the Crystal King could suck them up again. His crown also cracked a small bit.

"What the-" the Crystal King started before gazing at his crown. "How dare you disrespect my royalty?!"

"It's not disrespect, Your Majesty," Spike responded. "It's payback for taking the last Star Spirit, and you deserve it a lot."

"Well, at least you do call me by the proper name, but watch my next move!" The Crystal King floated above the ground and duplicated himself into two other clones before they faded a bit and formed a straight line down the middle.

"Not again..." Mario muttered while facepalming himself; he didn't freak out this time, though.

"It's got to be the center one," Luigi stated before jumping over the middle Crystal King and ground pounding him. But Luigi went through the duplicate, and saw he stayed intact.

"Hahaha! You cannot stop us now!" the three Crystal Kings exclaimed.

Spike took a couple seconds to think it through before executing his next move. He threw a Spiny Egg at the three Crystal Kings before it hit the back one, making the two duplicates disappear. The real Crystal King nearly fell off the cliff and grabbed the edge with both hands.

"NO! I GIVE UP!" the Crystal King cried with fear. "DON'T LET ME FALL!" Mario and Luigi approached the Crystal King while Spike stayed behind.

"How about I let you in on something?" Mario offered.

"If you pull me back up, I'll do anything for you!" the Crystal King shouted.

"Not just yet. You see, me and my brother got six of the seven Star Spirits who, alongside the seventh one, are able to grant everyone's wishes with the power of the Star Rod," Mario explained. "But who was the first to be granted those wishes? You tell me."

"Umm... King Bowser?"

"No. It was your Shaman friends a couple generations ago," Luigi answered. "The late Madam Merlar said so."

"Madam M- She was my master before she died! She had me construct the Crystal Palace with the others!"

"Oh, really? That's intriguing," Mario remarked.

"Her Excellency put me in charge of the whole construction, and I didn't believe in the Stars since I was born!" the Crystal King admitted. "I was pressured to help build the palace by the wizards because they saw my reluctancy!"

Suddenly, the Crystal King's fingers began to slip off, frightening him even more. "WHEN I HEARD KING BOWSER STOLE THE STAR ROD TO MAKE EVIL WISHES, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE FOR ME! I WAS HIS RIGHT-HAND MAN DURING THE PALACE INVASION! I FELT PLEASED WHILE DESTROYING THE BUSTS!"

"NOW I FEEL GUILTY FOR WHAT I DID!" the Crystal King went on. "PLEASE PULL ME BACK UP! I'LL HELP REBUILD IT ALL!"

"Hmm... I understand you now," Mario said. "You want to rebuild something big?"

"I'M ON MY LAST LEG!" the Crystal King yelled. "I'LL TURN TO THE SHAMANS AGAIN! I PROMISE!"

"Actually, I have a better idea," Mario stated.

"What...?" The Crystal King expected an answer from Mario, who had a small smirk on his face.

"I suggest you..." Suddenly, Mario jumped up a couple feet before slamming his feet on the cliff edge, breaking it and sending the Crystal King to his doom.

"NOOOOOOO!"

"Rebuild yourself in Hades' sanctum!" Mario finished loudly while seeing the Crystal King disappear into the dark abyss below. He giggled silently as he and Luigi rejoined Spike.

"How was it?" Spike asked.

"It was a stress-reliever for me," Mario replied. "I felt like me and Luigi were the villains for a moment."

"Yeah. That was one of the coolest things I've done in my life," Luigi agreed. A couple seconds later, a glowing white orb rose from the snow behind Mario and Luigi's backs.

"Here it comes!" Spike declared, prompting Mario and Luigi to turn to the orb. The orb then blew up and imploded to reveal Kalmar trapped in a playing card. Mario and Luigi gasped with disbelief.

"The last Star Spirit..." Mario murmured.

"We did it..." Luigi replied softly. The group approached the card before Luigi grabbed it. "Oh my God..."

Then, a bright white light shined from above Mario and friends, who flew up with the card before fading away. Their mission was nearly complete. Only two more objectives remained on their to-do-list: to free Jim from his dungeon cell and to save Peach from Bowser yet again.


	45. That Does It!

**Chapter 45: That Does It!**

It's now 6:00 PM, shortly after Mario and friends defeated the Crystal King and saved the last Star Spirit. In Peach's castle's master bedroom, she had finished praying to God at her bedside and stood back up.

"Are you okay, Princess Peach?" Twink asked.

"Not really," Peach answered.

"What's wrong?"

"I have a feeling Mario and Luigi got all the Star Spirits."

"How do you know?" Twink asked.

"It just came to me a few minutes ago, and I had to pray for things to stay peaceful for now," Peach replied. Suddenly, her heart started beating fast, catching her off guard. She had an anxious look on her face.

"Take it easy, Princess Peach," Twink reassured Peach. "You know Mario and Luigi will be here any time soon now that they rescued all the Star Spirits. After all, it's really good news."

But Peach didn't listen and slowly walked to her closet. She rummaged through her dress rack and took out a black frying pan before hiding it behind her back.

Twink barely noticed the frying pan and became frightened a small bit. "What are you doing?" Peach didn't answer. "Princess Peach! What is the-"

"Quiet! Just hide somewhere!" Peach ordered Twink, who quickly flew under Peach's bed. Peach stood next to the front of her bed, anticipating the worst. Suddenly, the door opened, and Bowser walked inside, making Peach shiver a bit.

"Oh, Princess Peach! Your cuddly old Bowser's here!" Bowser said with a sing-song voice. "Can't we have a friendly conversation for a change?"

"Nothing will change, Bowser," Peach answered nervously. "I can see through your tricks."

"Oh, really? That's what you think?" Bowser asked sarcastically. "Come on! You're stuck with me for a long, long time, beautiful. You'd better get used to it."

Bowser stepped a bit closer to Peach, who backed up a couple steps.

"If you think Mario and Luigi will come for you, you might want to retract your thoughts because-" Peach immediately held her frying pan in front of Bowser. "Oh, what do we have here?" Bowser gazed at the pan for a couple seconds. "What is the pan for? You want to cook me some scrambled eggs? Hmm?"

"It's for you if you don't get out of my room," Peach said with gritted teeth.

"Get out? A girl like you wouldn't say that," Bowser replied. "Men are the only ones who order their loved ones to get out if they can't take it anymore." Bowser took another step forward. "You know I'm one of those nice men. I wouldn't force you out even if we get into a fight."

"You don't want any of this," Peach warned Bowser. "I'll hit your face in. I mean it."

"Hey. Calm it down, my lovely fruit," Bowser said with a soothing voice. "There's nothing to be scared about. Can I see a smile, please?"

Bowser stepped a bit closer, causing Peach to back up until she was about a foot from her balcony door.

"Does it look like I'm happy?" Peach asked with tranquil fury. "You're making me do the opposite."

"I know. And I'm sorry for making you upset," Bowser lied. He proceeded to pucker his lips as if he was going to kiss Peach. "Come here, Princess Peach. How about a little-"

Suddenly, Peach slapped Bowser across the face with her pan three times screaming, "NO! NEVER!"

"OUCH! WHAT IS WRONG-" Bowser started to demand before Peach took out a pepper spray canister from her right dress pocket and sprayed Bowser in his eyes. "AAAGGHHH! MY EYES!"

Again, Peach slapped Bowser twice; on the second hit, he fell to the ground. "SCREW OFF, YOU DAMN TURTRAGON!" she shouted.

"URGH! YOU DAUGHTER OF A KING!" Bowser roared. He tried to push himself off the ground but fell again. "JUST WAIT UNTIL I STAND BACK UP!"

While Bowser threatened Peach, she started to run toward her bedroom door and dropped her pepper spray canister and frying pan. But as she passed the fireplace, Kammy appeared in the doorway from out of nowhere, stopping Peach in her tracks.

"Hold it right there, Princess Peach!" Kammy ordered Peach. "Step aside!" Kammy saw Bowser on his stomach and ran up to him. "What happened, Your Raunchiness?"

"That princess... She hit my face and sprayed my eyes...! I can't see anything...!" Bowser groaned. Kammy helped Bowser up before he partially opened his eyes, which had red circles around the eyeballs.

"Whoa," Kammy said. "That's bad."

"What do you want?" Bowser asked with irritation.

"We have an emergency, and it's legitimate," Kammy started while Bowser shut his eyes again. "Mario and Luigi have now saved all of the Star Spirits! There... There IS a big chance they could come here using their power..."

"I knew it..." Peach said under her breath.

"We must make ourselves ready and fast," Kammy finished before Bowser stomped his foot with anger.

"GAH! GRAHHH! THAT DOES IT!" Bowser yelled. "KAMMY, SEND EVERYONE TO THEIR POSTS! WE'LL AMBUSH THEM THE SECOND THEY SET FOOT IN MY CASTLE!" Bowser turned to the open doorway. "GUARDS! ANYONE OUT THERE! TIE PRINCESS PEACH UP IMMEDIATELY! I REQUEST SHE HAVE A FRONT-ROW SEAT FOR THIS UPCOMING BRAWL!"

Right on cue, three Koopatrols ran inside with a long brown rope and quickly tied up Peach.

"No! Please!" Peach pleaded. But the Koopatrols tied her tight enough for her arms to not move at all.

Twink immediately came out from under her bed and shouted, "Hey! You big Koopa! Have some respect for Princess Peach!" He then started to fly circles around Bowser in an attempt to make him dizzy.

"What is this whining little glittering thing?! Confetti?!" Bowser slapped Twink away, causing him to fly through the balcony door, which opened when he impacted it.

"TWINK!" Peach cried. Bowser then walked in front of Peach and the Koopatrols.

"Hear me out, Princess Peach!" Bowser boomed. "I swear to the Stars from above, when they come across me, I will destroy Mario and Luigi until there's nothing left! AND I WILL DESTROY YOU BEFORE THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM IS MINE! MARK MY WORDS!" With a snap of his fingers, the Koopatrols hoisted Princess Peach above them and hurried out of her room.

"Kammy, I need milk in my eyes!" Bowser demanded.

"But I thought water-" Kammy started before Bowser interrupted her.

"Water doesn't work, and you know it's true!" Bowser argued. "Now help me!" Bowser and Kammy began to march to the kitchen. "Oh geez... I guess Princess Peach IS tough after all..."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Jim's dungeon cell, he had been laughing like mad for the last several hours.

"Oh m-man...! Th-This...i-is the...b-best day o-of...m-my life...!" Jim chortled. "In f-fact...Mr. T-Toadsworth...you w-want to h-hear a j-joke?"

"I can't bear to listen to your laughter, Jim," Toadsworth answered.

"Knock knock! 'Who's there?' Heeding! 'Heeding who?'" Jim began after calming down a bit. "Do you know whose advice I should be heeding to?" Jim started to chuckle again. "B-Bowser's...!" Jim started laughing hard again.

"Is Jim gonna laugh himself to death?" one of the five Toads asked Toadsworth.

"That's a possibility. I have a feeling this is the last stage of his insanity."

"H-Hey g-guys!" Jim exclaimed. "A-Actually...I-I want t-to b-be freed...so I-I c-can t-tell...a-all the j-jokes I want...t-to the g-guards...!"

"They're not gonna want to hear them, Jim," the second Toad told Jim. "Can you quiet down a little?" But Jim couldn't stop laughing and grabbed his stomach.

"I-I l-love...b-being in h-here...!" Jim guffawed. "I-I should...s-start a...c-comedy sh-show in h-here...! And m-make e-everyone laugh...b-because I'm...a g-genius...! I'd r-rather be...a c-comedian...th-than an a-author...!"

After slightly calming down again, Jim began another joke. "What is it called when you roll down a hill while wearing Saran Wrap around your clothes?" Jim paused to think of a punchline before giggling again. "A T-Tumbler g-glass...!"

Suddenly, the third Toad chuckled silently, having gotten the joke.

"Hey! This isn't funny!" the second Toad scolded him. "Look what he's going through!"

"I'm sorry, but that joke was a good one. Not gonna lie."

* * *

Rewinding back to 5:35 PM, Mario, Luigi, and Spike reappeared through another light beam and touched down just near the entrance to Shiver Mountain. Kalmar was waiting for the group prior to their arrival.

"Hello, Mario and Luigi. My name is Kalmar," Kalmar introduced himself. "Well done to you two. Thank you for coming. You have successfully rescued all of us Star Spirits. We are in your debt. Now all that is left is for you to challenge Bowser. My power should help you...to bring back the Star Rod, to beat Bowser, to bring peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom, and...to save Princess Peach."

Kalmar raised his arms up, causing Mario and Luigi to sparkle for a few seconds. Then, Mario's Star Power Band's Star Energy increased by one more unit, completing the entire ring around the band.

"What I've granted you is what's known as 'Up & Away'," Kalmar explained. "Using two Star Energy units, if your enemies are weak enough, I will turn them into stars that will rise toward the sky for eternity."

"Oh boy. I'm gonna need you and the others' help, all right-y," Mario remarked.

"Indeed," Kalmar replied. "Mario and Luigi, you must make your way back to Star Hill. From Star Hill, we'll prepare the route to the Star Road. The name of this route is the Star Path. Once you travel the Star Path, you will finally reach the Star Road. My only wish is for you to save this precious world. You can do it, Mario and Luigi. Farewell for now." With that, Kalmar rose toward the Star Road, leaving Mario and friends to set off toward Star Hill.

"I can't believe we're this far already," Luigi said after letting out a sigh. "It feels like we just started 30 minutes ago."

"Well, time flies when you're on an important mission, bro," Mario responded before turning to Spike. "Spike, you're about to get your first look of Star Hill before the Star Road. Your mind's gonna be blown, I guarantee you."

"Awesome, man! I can't wait!" Spike declared. "Let's go!" It took nine minutes to reach the boundary of Shiver City before the group found the green Warp Pipe to go back to Kero Sewers and then toward Toad Town.


	46. The Star Road

**Chapter 46: The Star Road**

"Great choice for dinner, Mario," Luigi said while he, Mario, and Spike approached Natasha T.'s Pizza Parlor. "At least we get to have our favorite food before going to Bowser's Castle."

Within ten minutes, Mario and friends were seated at a table in the middle of the restaurant.

"You might think this is funny, Spike. Me and Luigi are obsessed with Italian food, which is this rumor people from our original world have been passing along having played our video games or watched the cartoons based off our adventures," Mario explained.

"Does that mean you eat this all the time?" Spike asked.

"We used to, but after weighing ourselves following our first adventure, we decided to cut back a small bit."

"And by 'a small bit', it doesn't mean eating in moderation," Luigi added in. "It's still a bad habit up to this day, but no one sees us chowing down pizza and pasta unless there's a video game that wants to show our passion briefly."

A couple minutes later, the waiter came by with three cups of iced water and took the group's orders. Mario asked for a 16-inch plain cheese pizza, Luigi ordered a 14-inch Hawaiian pizza, and Spike asked for a small order of mozzarella sticks because he wasn't that hungry.

"Let's say this is our 'last meal' just in case we literally don't make it out alive," Mario stated. "I mean, there's a good chance that Bowser with the Star Rod can kill us all even if the Star Spirits have our backs."

"You might be right, bro," Luigi agreed. "It technically doesn't matter if we're the 'Super Mario Bros.' Well, then again, there's that possibility of us saving Princess Peach and getting the Star Rod without a hitch."

"So, it's 50:50, right?" Spike asked.

"Yeah," Mario replied. He proceeded to raise his cup of water. "To us: the world-famous heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"To all the friends and family who supported us since we were kids," Luigi said while raising his cup. Spike hesitated to do the same, though.

"Come on, Spike. At least join in," Mario requested.

"Okay," Spike sighed before raising his cup. "Umm... To the...Star Spirits who will forever...grant our wishes no matter what...?" Mario and Luigi clinked their cups including Spike's.

"Cheers!" the Mario Bros. said with delight before sipping their drinks. Spike did the same a couple seconds later.

"Not bad, Spike," Luigi complimented Spike. "But why did you hesitate?"

"To be honest, I'm still feeling the dilemma between choosing the good or evil side."

"Don't say that," Mario said. "You promised to be a hero for the Mushroom Kingdom. It should make you proud."

"That's true," Spike responded. "I'll be fine, Mario. I'm sorry."

"It's all good."

After ten more minutes, everyone's dinners were served, and Mario and Luigi immediately started devouring their pizzas quickly.

"I guess the rumor IS true," Spike said to himself before digging into his mozzarella sticks at a steady pace.

15 minutes later, Mario and friends were ready to press on to Star Hill. By this time, it was 6:35 PM, 30 minutes after sunset.

As soon as they went through the blue gate leading to the castle grounds before making a right, Mario looked up at the skies for a moment.

"Spike, you might want to watch the sky for a moment," Mario told Spike. "You're gonna be awed at these shooting stars." Mario was right; within seconds, tens of shooting stars began to fall around him, Luigi, and Spike.

"Wow," Spike murmured. "They're like candles in the form of stars." He was referring to how bright the stars were from a distance before they hit the ground. Five minutes later, the group arrived at the base of Star Hill.

"When we reach the summit, all seven Star Spirits will be waiting for us there," Luigi explained. "But you have to keep quiet while they speak. Their words of wisdom are very important above all else."

Spike nodded before Mario led him and Spike up the mountain before reaching the summit six minutes later. They were expecting the Star Spirits to be hovering in a ring around the surface, but there wasn't anyone there.

Suddenly, Eldstar's voice said from out of nowhere, "Mario? Luigi? Can you hear me...?"

"Yes," Mario and Luigi replied silently.

"I'm going to open the entrance to the Star Path. Enter this path without fear. The Star Path continues all the way up here to the Star Road. We seven Star Spirits will be waiting for you there. We wish to give you our remaining power. With this power, you will be able to stand up to the Star Rod Bowser holds."

The star symbols the Star Spirits typically hover over and the one in the center glowed bright before a beam with stars circling it appeared on the center of the summit. It would take Mario and friends to the Star Path.

"We anxiously await you..." Eldstar stated. "Mario and Luigi, make haste to the Star Road!"

Without hesitation, the group stepped inside the beam and rose quickly to the Star Path within five seconds. Its base was about 500 feet above Star Hill's summit.

"All right-y. Let's-a go," Mario declared calmly. He knew now wasn't the time to be cheerful as there were bigger things to worry about. As the group started up the Star Path, they could see the ground clearly beneath the path because it was made completely out of stars, but it was solid enough to walk across.

However, the path wasn't free of enemies; a group of six blue Embers scouted the Star Path. Luckily, Mario was able to use the Star Power Band to get rid of the Embers. To do that, he activated the "Time Out" power to freeze the Embers in place before activating the "Up & Away" power to turn them into stars that immediately rose toward the sky. Mario then used "Focus" to refill the four Star Energy units that were used up.

"When will we need the powerups we got earlier?" Luigi asked, referring to the Hammer Suit, Fire Flower, and Dizzy Dial powerups.

"We won't use them all at once," Mario replied. "The best way is to figure out the enemies' weaknesses before either burning, hammering, or dazing them."

Eventually, Mario and friends entered the Star Road: a small village with a shop, an Inn, and a lounge. There were also multiple Star Kids older than Twink who inhabited the village.

"I guess they rebuilt this place," Mario remarked while looking around. "I thought the Star Road was a giant star-shaped platform that no one lived upon."

"And the seven Star Pieces were replaced by the Star Spirits," Luigi chimed in. "It was probably Geno who handed it over after the Star Road was repaired."

"Who's Geno?" Spike asked.

"He was the only other partner who accompanied me during that adventure we talked about before we fought Huff N. Puff," Mario answered.

"Oh, I see," Spike said, having remembered Mario talking about the March 1996 adventure earlier today.

Mario and friends walked around the village for a couple minutes, gazing at the buildings and layout. Afterwards, Mario saw a red and gray stone path that connected to the Star Path leading to the east.

"Maybe this will take us to the Star Spirits," Mario said. He beckoned Luigi and Spike to go with him down the stone path. They eventually saw a giant palace with a deep blue roof. The front door was wide open, which meant the Star Spirits anticipated the group's arrival. Mario clasped his hands together while Luigi straightened his cap.

"I'm feeling a bit nervous," Mario stated as he felt himself shaking a small bit. "I could compare this to when you're about to start the last game of the World Series with the opposing team tying the number of wins with your team."

Luigi laid his hand on Mario's shoulder to calm him down. "Take it easy, bro. If we end up in a dire situation, I'll be more than glad to be in charge of the team."

While Luigi talked with Mario, Spike wanted to beg them to not stall and go in the palace, but understood Mario's condition and stayed silent.

After taking a deep breath, Mario took the lead again. "Mettiamo fine al malvagio di Bowser. (_Let's put an end to Bowser's evildoing._)" Mario said softly in Italian; it was enough for Luigi and Spike to hear him.

Without further ado, Mario and friends walked into the palace, whose interior consisted of a giant moat with a single platform and podium connected to a stairway starting at the front door. Seven crystal pillars surrounded the platform; each of the seven Star Spirits hovered above their respective pillar.

Mario and friends stopped short of the platform's podium and looked Eldstar in the eye.

"Mario and company, you finally made it," Eldstar stated. "The time has come to take the fight to Bowser's turf. Now... Stand still while we seven join together to bestow upon you our final power."

The Star Spirits rose up a bit and went back down, causing multiple sparks of energy to shine around Mario and Luigi for five seconds. Mario's Star Power Band changed color from black, yellow, white, and gold to blue, white, teal, and orange. All seven white star-shaped buttons and the teal circle glowed bright, indicating the band was completely full of power far greater than one could ever imagine.

"This final power we bestowed upon you, Mario and company, is the Star Beam," Eldstar explained. "Using this power will drain the power of the Star Rod whenever Bowser uses it. Now, one more thing we will do for you is summon a gift which should come in handy."

Within eight seconds, a blue and white ship with four yellow seats appeared atop the podium.

"This is the legendary Star Cruiser of the Star Road. Bowser is keeping his castle way up in the sky. With this ship, however, you can reach it," Eldstar said. "Now, take your seats and buckle up tight."

Mario, Luigi, and Spike climbed into the Star Cruiser with Mario and Luigi strapping themselves into the front seats and Spike sitting in the back-left seat. They made sure to tighten their chest straps enough for them to not fall off.

"Remember, Mario and company, we will always be with you. Whenever you are in need, use our powers to help you," Eldstar reminded the group.

"Here we go, guys," Luigi said. Mario closed his eyes, given that he was still nervous about the final part of the adventure. The roof of the palace opened slowly, exposing the starry sky.

Mario heard his mental conscience count down from ten before the Star Cruiser slowly rose out of the palace until it was about 30 feet above the roof. Five seconds later, the Star Cruiser suddenly accelerated straight, subjecting Mario and friends to three and a half times gravity.

In Mario's mind, he kept repeating to himself, "Hang in there, Mario." There was no going back now; Mario and friends were dead set on saving Jim and Peach before taking the Star Rod from Bowser.


	47. Bowser's Aerial Castle

**Chapter 47: Bowser's Aerial Castle**

It's now 7:30 PM; about ten minutes after Mario, Luigi, and Spike took off in the Star Road's Star Cruiser bound for Bowser and Peach's castles. The ship neared the angry gargoyle, whose mouth was open enough to allow access to the docking station inside. Both Mario and Luigi became creeped out at the sight of the gargoyle, especially while the ship entered the mouth.

"I almost thought we were gonna get eaten," Mario remarked, having calmed down from being nervous prior to departure. But before Luigi could reply, Mario giggled. "Just kidding."

"I knew you were," Luigi said before the Star Cruiser stopped at a rock platform in the center of the docking station. After disembarking, the group walked to a doorway leading to the front yard of Bowser's Castle.

"Spike, I'm gonna swap you with another partner for now, okay?" Mario told Spike.

"Okay."

"But don't think you won't participate for the rest of the adventure. We'll call you up if needed." Mario proceeded to swap Spike with Watt because he thought she would be the proper partner to accompany him and Luigi during the trek through the castle.

"All right-y, Watt," Luigi said. "It's your turn to help us out. Are you scared?"

"No, but I'm a tad bit unsure of what will happen," Watt replied.

"Well, you're pretty strong for a Li'l Sparky," Mario said. "Be yourself and you'll brave it out like me and my brother."

Without further ado, Mario and friend went through the doorway, exiting the gargoyle's head, and entered the front yard before stopping in front of the bridge leading to the front door. There was a lava river below the bridge and the front door was locked. However, there was an open doorway to the right of the front door.

"I guess we'll take the back door first," Mario said before leading Luigi and Watt toward the open doorway, officially setting foot in Bowser's Castle. The first hall they entered included the lava river that flowed from outside. There was a single Koopatrol that paced back and forth next to a dungeon cell.

Upon noticing the cell bars, Mario immediately knew there were some Toads locked up in there. "I hope Toadsworth is in that cell. I bet he'll be delighted to see us."

"Hey, you!" the Koopatrol shouted, having heard Mario's voice. "No plumbers allowed!" The Koopatrol came rushing with his spear, but Mario acted quick and hopped onto the spear, causing the Koopatrol to fall face-first.

"You know, I would toss you into the lava river, but that would make me a criminal whether I'm fighting the evil or the good," Mario quipped. "Hold still." Mario rummaged through the Koopatrol's uniform pockets and found a yellow key with a blue gem in the center.

"Let me guess: you're the one told by Bowser to lock the front door, right?" Luigi asked after catching up to Mario.

"To tell you the truth, yes," the Koopatrol answered. "And to let you in on something, King Bowser ordered me not to lie. So, you know what? I'll let you do your thing. Free whoever I locked up. I don't care." With that, the Koopatrol ran away, leaving his spear behind. Mario threw the spear into the lava before hurrying to the cell; there were three Toads inside.

"Mario! Luigi!" one of the Toads shouted with glee upon seeing the Mario Bros. "Get us out now!"

"One second," Mario replied while trying to find a keyhole on the bars. There was nothing. "I can't use this key to get you out. Sorry."

"Is there another way?" the second Toad asked. While he spoke with Mario, Luigi walked past the cell and saw some cracks on the wall to the right of the cell.

"Mario! We can blow up this wall!" Luigi called out. Mario immediately swapped Watt with Bombette, who hurried to Luigi and blew herself up to break the wall open. There was a small tunnel that went left toward the cell. Again, Bombette blew up the wall within the dungeon to free the Toads.

"Oh, yes!" "Thank you, Luigi!" "You're a savior!" the Toads exclaimed. One of them hugged Luigi's leg, surprising him almost immediately.

"Any time, my friend," Luigi said while patting the Toad's head. After walking the Toads out of their cell, they stopped for a second.

"How are we gonna get outta here?" the third Toad asked.

"Let me and Mario take you this way," Luigi responded, pointing to the doorway leading to the front yard. Once the Toads joined Mario, he and Luigi walked with them across the bridge and stopped them short of the docking station.

"Go into the docking station," Mario instructed the Toads. "There's a blue and white ship that will take you to the Star Road. Once you get off, the ship will come back here to help the other prisoners out of the castle. But remember it can fit up to four people at a time."

Right on cue, the Toads hurried to the Star Cruiser and strapped themselves in for the ten-minute ride to the Star Road's palace. Mario, Luigi, and Bombette waited next to the docking station for the Star Cruiser to come back. Shortly after the ship arrived again, Mario swapped Bombette with Watt.

"Mario, next time, we should keep going through the castle after freeing the next few prisoners," Luigi said. "It would take too long to walk everyone to the ship and go back to where we left off."

"Good idea," Mario agreed before he went with Luigi and Watt to the front door. He unlocked the door with the key before going inside.

* * *

The next hall had more lava surrounding the path than the back entrance. Two Koopatrols roamed around, waiting for Mario and Luigi to show up.

"Dude, keep your eyes open," the first Koopatrol told the second one. "The sooner we take out the Mario Bros., the sooner King Bowser will give us that promotion."

"Oh, yeah!" the second Koopatrol responded. "I've always wanted-" Suddenly, the Koopatrols started walking around in random directions, their eyes rolling all over the place. They then collapsed on their backs, unable to pick themselves up.

It turned out Luigi tossed his Dizzy Dial at the Koopatrols to temporarily immobilize them.

"Hurry! Go!" Luigi ordered Mario and Watt, who ran with him past the dazed Koopatrols into the next hall. This time, there were three Hammer Bros standing in the way.

"New plan: sneak around those Hammer Bros," Mario whispered before swapping Watt with Bow. With a snap of his fingers, Bow touched Mario's head, turning him invisible. Luigi decided to straddle the shadowed portion of the hall. While Bow and Mario moved forward casually, Luigi stayed behind to ambush the Hammer Bros.

Upon seeing the first Hammer Bro, Luigi took a few seconds to think of a quick plan. He then said, "Hello!", prompting the Hammer Bro to turn to him. Luigi took the short opportunity to charge the Hammer Bro and snatch his hammer before batting him toward the front entrance.

With the Hammer Bro's hammer in his hand, Luigi snuck up behind the second Hammer Bro and threw the hammer at his head, knocking him out. He thought about taking the other hammer and use both hammers to knock out the third one but decided against it because it would've been overkill.

Again, Luigi threw the first Hammer Bro's hammer at the third one to knock him out before catching up with Mario and Bow.

"That was great, Luigi," Bow congratulated Luigi. "I never thought you were an expert at stealth."

"It's my specialty nowadays," Luigi replied. After Mario swapped Bow with Watt again, everyone arrived at a room with three mini Bowser statues on the left-hand side and a door with a giant Bowser face in the center.

"Okay... That's even creepier than the gargoyle..." Luigi murmured. He wasn't as afraid as when he was in Boo's Mansion, but the Bowser face was enough to kind of scare him.

"Bloooaaahhhhhhhh! Welcome, you worms!" the door suddenly bellowed. His voice caused everyone to fall backward due to the extreme startlement.

"That door didn't just talk!" Mario exclaimed while everyone stood back up.

"Oh, I can talk for sure!" the door responded. "I'm called the Guard Door of Bowser's Castle. It's my job to keep suspicious types from entering. You must be Mario along with your scaredy-cat brother-"

"I'M NOT A SCAREDY-CAT!" Luigi loudly interrupted. "THAT'S THE LAST THING YOU'D WANT TO CALL ME!"

"Oh, what are you gonna do? Destroy me? Please!"

"I will if you test me again..." Luigi threatened while pointing at the Guard Door.

"All right. I'll leave you alone," the Guard Door lied. "Let me guess: you want to go through here? Hmm?"

"Yeah. We do," Mario replied.

"Okay, then. Hehehe. Stand in front of me. I won't do nothing."

Instead of stepping forward, Mario remembered something that happened way earlier.

_*TWO DAYS AGO*_

_"Guys, just in case there are some Coins in this block, would you please stand with me to get your shares?"_

_"Sure." "Good idea," Goombario and Luigi answered respectively. Upon hitting the block from underneath, a red wristband with five white buttons and a black depression on the top popped out before Mario caught it._

_"Hmm... I've never seen an item like-" Mario started to say while looking at the wristband. Suddenly, the floor underneath Mario, Luigi, and Goombario's feet fell open in two halves, causing them to fall into a black pit below._

_*PRESENT DAY*_

"Wait a minute..." Mario started. "I know what you want us to do."

"What are you saying, Mario?" the Guard Door asked.

"You know I'm leading up to," Mario replied.

"You're not making any sense."

"You're trying to trick us by trapping us in the dungeon!" Watt declared.

"What? How would I do such a thing?" the Guard Door questioned.

"We know better," Luigi answered. "We may have been dumb a couple days ago, but one of our partners taught us a valuable lesson: to not fall for temptation."

"Yeah. You choose to not fall for temptation, right?" the Guard Door said with sarcasm. "I'm not trying to tempt you. I'm being nice enough to let you through."

"Then try me," Mario boasted while stepping in front of the Guard Door. Two seconds later, a trap door beneath Mario's feet opened, but Mario was quick enough to back-flip away in time. Upon landing next to Luigi and Watt, Mario did the V-sign with a smile on his face.

"I... I-I d-don't..." the Guard Door stuttered with shock.

"You see what I mean, sir?" Mario stated. "Me and my brother are WAY smarter than you think."

"Ugh! All right... You win, Mario and Luigi... Just mind the gap..." The Guard Door opened, revealing a massive foyer. Mario and Luigi did the High Jump technique to cross the pit while Watt floated alongside them. The foyer's upper level led to an east path with the bottom level leading downstairs.

"Let's see what's downstairs first," Mario said. He slowly went down the stairs with Luigi and Watt following behind. They eventually saw a Koopatrol walking back and forth next to another dungeon cell.

"Watt, fry that guard," Luigi whispered to Watt, who floated above the Koopatrol and waited a couple seconds before slamming on his head, electrocuting him in the process. After the Koopatrol fell on his back, Mario and Luigi ran downstairs and found two Toads, a Bumpty, and a Dryite trapped in the cell.

"Mario! Luigi!" a familiar voice called out. Mario and Luigi turned to see Nathan "Toad" T. run up to the bars.

"Toad! Nice to see you again!" Mario greeted Toad while Luigi searched the Koopatrol's uniform pocket before finding a gray key.

"I owe you two a big one!" Toad said with delight. Luigi handed Mario the key, which he used to unlock the cell. Then, Toad and the other prisoners ran out before high-fiving Mario and Luigi.

"Hold on a second," Toad said, stopping the celebration abruptly. "Unless Mario and Luigi show us out of here, we're still stuck."

"Don't worry, Toad. We'll find an easy way out. Follow me," Mario stated before leading Toad and his friends to where the Guard Door was located. Meanwhile, Luigi and Watt went to the foyer and waited upstairs.

"Can you jump across the pit?" Mario asked Toad.

"Yes, I can. But you may need to toss the rest over." Without further ado, Toad made it to the other side while Mario threw the other prisoners over safely.

"Run forward to the front entrance and you'll find yourselves in the front yard," Mario instructed everyone. "Head over to the gargoyle, which serves as a docking station for several ships. There's a blue and white ship that will take you to the Star Road, where the Star Spirits will take care of you until me and Luigi save Princess Peach."

"But one of you will have to wait 20 minutes because the ship can hold up to four people and it takes 20 minutes to do a round-trip," Mario went on. "Understood?"

"Yes." "Yeah." "Sure." "Absolutely." "Understood," Toad and his friends replied.

"Let's go, guys!" Toad said to his friends before they hurried to the docking station for the ride home.

After Mario rejoined Luigi and Watt, Luigi asked, "How many more prisoners are there?"

"Well, I can guarantee you the next one should have Toadsworth and Jim inside," Mario replied.

"They better be, because I'm giving Jim a big hug after we unlock the cell," Luigi said. "He's so gonna cry when he sees our faces."

Without further ado, the group continued down the next hall, which was guarded by two Magikoopas and one Koopatrol. Mario decided to use his Fire Flower to take out the Magikoopas but knew that the Koopatrol is immune to fireballs.

"Luigi, you trip that guard like I did before we saved the first few prisoners," Mario told Luigi. "I'm toasting those Magikoopas." Mario then took out his Fire Flower and crushed it in his fist, turning his cap and shirt white; however, his overalls stayed red.

Mario and Luigi charged the Magikoopas and the Koopatrol, who saw them approaching and ran toward them too. Mario leaped up and threw two fireballs at each of the Magikoopas, burning them to ashes instantly. Meanwhile, Luigi jumped and landed on the Koopatrol's spear, causing him to fall face-first; Luigi then batted the Koopatrol away with the spear. Simultaneously, Mario's Fire form wore off.

There was no time to celebrate, so the group pressed on. The next room had a tall staircase guarded by multiple Bombshell Bill Blasters.

"If only I had an Invincibility Star," Mario sighed, having remembered how he destroyed the Bill Blasters guarding the Koopa Bros. Fortress battle arena.

"What's Plan B?" Watt asked. Mario took about a minute to come up with a secondary plan.

"Watt, fly to the very top," Mario instructed Watt. "Me and Luigi have a couple tricks up our sleeves." He turned to Luigi. "Am I right, bro?"

Luigi nodded his head. Just as Watt took off to the top of the staircase, Mario and Luigi approached the first two Bombshell Bill Blasters. Next, Luigi backed up several steps behind Mario, who held his hands behind his back. Finally, Luigi lunged toward Mario, who grabbed his hands and spun him around four times before letting him fly feet-first onto the first Bombshell Bill Blaster, destroying it completely. Luigi was thrown back from the explosive shockwave before Mario caught his hands again and spun him around four more times before Luigi went in feet-first and destroyed the second Bombshell Bill Blaster.

"That was better than I thought," Luigi remarked after standing back up following the successful attack. There were two more flights of stairs that were each guarded by two more Bombshell Bill Blasters. Mario and Luigi did the same attack to destroy them all before rejoining Watt.

"That was a cool attack!" Watt squealed with joy. "What was it?"

"The Swing Bros. attack," Mario answered. "Luigi walked up behind me before lunging for my hands. I then swung him around four times before he blew through the Bill Blasters with his shoes."

"We actually did that twice in a row because the first explosion knocked me back, which was a good thing," Luigi added in before he led Mario and Watt into the next room, which was guarded by another Guard Door.

"Grooaaahhhhh! Who would've thought you could make it this far?" the Guard Door announced with irritation.

"We're the 'Super Mario Bros' of all people, sir!" Luigi answered.

"Well, you won't make it any farther because, unfortunately for you, I won't let you pass. Graaahahahahaha!"

"You might want to reconsider," Mario rebutted calmly. "We'll make you let us pass whether you like it or not."

"In this case, if you really want, I'll give you one chance because I know there's no way you'll make it anyway. You want to give it a shot?" the Guard Door offered.

"Let's-a go!" Mario and Luigi declared.

"This is completely pointless, but I suppose I'll let you try because, of course, I have such a kind and generous heart... Just joking, worms! Grrooahhhahahahahahaha!" the Guard Door cackled.

"What do you have in store for us?" Luigi asked.

"Watch this!"

Right on cue, three Anti Guys fell in from the ceiling. Mario and Luigi became perplexed, having not seen this species of Shy Guys before.

"Gray Shy Guys?" Mario questioned. "This is too easy!"

"Too easy? Think again!" the Guard Door exclaimed. The Anti Guys' first attack was to stomp on Mario and Luigi with their spiked shoes. The Mario Bros were quick enough to dodge the stomp attack.

Before Watt could make her move, she saw Mario take out the Hammer Suit powerup and grip the handle before becoming Hammer Mario. He was now wearing a black shell with a white border on his back and a helmet with the same appearance.

Mario tossed three hammers at the Anti Guys, who managed to grab them at throw them back at Mario. He was able to block the hammers with his helmet. Meanwhile, Luigi and Watt came up with an attack of their own.

"Did you know I can attack using thunder and lightning?" Luigi quietly asked Watt.

"No," Watt replied. "But that's a cool idea. Together, we could shock those Shy Guys even more than when I do it by myself."

Watt floated into Luigi's hands in preparation for their combined electric attack. The good news was that Luigi was not electrocuted when Watt touched his gloves. Luigi hurried up behind Mario and jumped onto his helmet, propelling him high above the Anti Guys. They were continuing to volley Mario's hammers back at him. Luigi held Watt above his head and slammed her on the middle Anti Guy's head, electrocuting him in the process. The attack created a shockwave big enough to engulf the other two Anti Guys.

Mario acted quick and threw three more hammers at the Anti Guys, bouncing them off the Guard Door and down the staircase to the bottom level.

"Grrrraaaaaaaaghhhhhhh!" the Guard Door growled. "I cannot believe it! How could you defeat those Anti Guys easily?! King Bowser told me they were some of his strongest minions ever!"

"Strong enough to what? Be immune to electricity?" Luigi taunted the Guard Door.

"Um... Th-they..." the Guard Door hesitated. "Just forget it! You two win! Oh, the shame upon me! Just go through!"

As the Guard Door opened, Mario's Hammer form wore off. At this point, Mario and Luigi used up their powerups and were on their own until they could find more nearby.

"You ready to meet Jim?" Mario asked Watt.

"Just as long as I don't accidentally shock him," Watt replied. "But I'm excited." And so, the group proceeded through the Guard Door, finding themselves outside near a staircase leading to the next floor. The good news was there were no enemies standing in the way.

After climbing the stairs, Mario spotted a Yellow Exclamation Point Block to his right-hand side. He hit the block from underneath, revealing a Super Mushroom.

"Here you go, Luigi," Mario said while handing the Super Mushroom to Luigi. "I'll probably find one myself."

Mario and friends were just one step closer to Jim's dungeon cell, if they are able to find him, and Peach's castle on the very top of Bowser's Castle.


	48. Rescuing an Old Friend

**Chapter 48: Rescuing an Old Friend**

"Doesn't this foyer look the same as the one we went through earlier?" Mario asked, having entered another foyer with the same appearance.

"It kinda does, but if you want to remember where you're at exactly, we came in through the bottom east door if you look up the stairs," Luigi answered.

Again, Mario and friends decided to see what was downstairs in the bottom west section. Just as they began walking down the stairs, they heard loud cackling from down below.

"Who's laughing?" Watt asked.

"I don't know," Mario replied before he led Luigi and Watt downstairs again. Like the second dungeon cell, there was a single Koopatrol guarding the cell bars. But instead of walking back and forth, he was scolding whoever was laughing.

"This is the fourth time I'm telling you to shut up, man!" the Koopatrol demanded. "King Bowser said for the prisoners to not make noise!"

"W-who...g-gives a...f-flip...! Hehahahaha!" the laughing voice argued.

"Let's take out the guard first," Luigi whispered, prompting Watt to do what she did earlier; Watt snuck above the guard before slamming on his head, electrocuting him in the process.

"Wow...! H-he went...F-Frankenstein...!"

Suddenly, Mario and Luigi recognized who was laughing. "Jim...?" "Why is he laughing...?"

They ran up to the unconscious guard before Mario took a gray key out of the guard's uniform pocket. Meanwhile, Luigi looked up to see Toadsworth and his fellow Toads sitting on the bench; Toadsworth was holding his head with pain since he couldn't stand Jim's insanity anymore.

"Toadsworth!" Luigi called out. Toadsworth and the Toads turned to see Mario and Luigi.

"Mario! Luigi!" They ran up to the cell bars, knowing that they're gonna escape from Bowser's Castle. Mario unlocked the cell, allowing Toadsworth and the Toads to run out.

"Are you okay, Toadsworth?" Mario asked.

"I would've been happy to see you and Master Luigi if it weren't for Jim back there!" Toadsworth cried before pointing to Jim hunched over the sink.

"Let us handle this," Luigi said before he and Mario entered the open cell. Watt stayed outside with Toadsworth and the other Toads. "Act casual, bro. Don't overreact."

Mario and Luigi tiptoed a few steps before deciding to start talking to Jim.

"Hey, buddy! We're here!" Mario said with delight. Jim slowly turned around, having heard Mario's voice. Instead of Jim having a joyful look on his face, he was angrily smiling at the Mario Bros.

"Whoa! What happened to you?!" Mario asked with shock.

"What's wrong with me is..." Jim answered while smiling bigger, creeping out Mario and Luigi. "You two showed up when you weren't supposed to be here..."

"Jim, that's no excuse why you're acting weird," Luigi said. "There's got to be a better reason."

"Come on, Jim. Admit the truth," Jim said in his Mij voice, causing Mario and Luigi to scream with fear.

"What the heck?! He's lost it!" Mario exclaimed.

"I've lost it...? No, I haven't..." Jim answered in his regular voice. "Why take a detour to me when you have Princess Peach...?"

"But we needed to save you!" Luigi protested. "If you just calm yourself down, we can talk things over!"

"Something's messed you up," Mario added in.

"Mario's right. Think of what made you this way," Jim told himself in his Mij voice.

"I swear, Mij, if I hear your voice again..." Jim threatened himself.

"You'll do what? Dig inside your brain to kill me? That's impossible!"

"Jim, quit talking to yourself!" Mario demanded. "Look at us!"

"You're not faking it, are you?" Luigi asked.

"Faking what...? Me being the victim...?"

"You're kind of the victim thanks to Bowser, but-"

"Oh, Bowser made me the victim...? No, he didn't... He made me his ally..." Jim responded. "He just hasn't come to get me yet..."

While Jim calmly argued with Luigi, Mario started tapping his foot with impatience. He felt his temper rise.

"Why would Bowser come to get you, Jim?" Luigi questioned. "You know he never does good to anything-"

"He does too show good!" Jim finally yelled. "You two are completely and utterly worthless! All you care about is-"

Suddenly, Mario slapped Jim in the face in an effort to snap him out of it. Jim charged Mario to fight back, but Luigi quickly pinned him to the ground.

"Get your hands off of me..." Jim requested with tranquil fury.

"Listen to yourself, Jim!" Luigi urged Jim. "You literally lost-" Suddenly, Jim pushed Luigi off him, throwing him against the cell bars.

"I SAID, 'GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!'" Jim started laughing like mad again before reverting to his Mij voice. "How dare you touch Luigi like that?!"

"Mario, why did you slap him?" Luigi asked.

"He needs to snap out of it," Mario answered with frustration.

"That's not the way to handle it!"

Again, Mario and Luigi approached Jim, who stood back up.

"Don't you dare...lay a finger on me..." Jim threatened Mario while pointing his finger at him.

"Look who's talking! You were about to tackle me!" Mario argued.

"You started it!"

"No! You wouldn't calm down when we asked you to the first time!"

"Guys! Stop fighting!" Luigi butted in.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP! BOWSER'S MY IDOL! NOT YOU!" Jim roared.

"What?! I'm not your idol?!" Mario asked with shock. "I thought you were me and Luigi's biggest fan!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FANS! BOTH OF YOU HAVE NOBODY TO SUPPORT YOU! NOT EVEN PRINCESS PEACH, OR YOUR PARENTS, OR-"

Mario immediately punched Jim to the ground, having been angered by Jim's rant. Before he could attack Jim again, Luigi grabbed Mario's torso and pulled him against the cell bars.

"MARIO! YOU DON'T PUNCH ANYONE LIKE THAT!" Luigi angrily scolded Mario. At the same time, Jim lifted himself up.

"Oh my God..." Jim groaned before feeling his left eye in pain; he placed his left hand over it. "Ow... My eye..."

Jim suddenly looked around the cell with confusion. "Wha- What happened? Why is-" He looked up at Mario being held back by Luigi. "Mario? Did you just punch my eye?"

"He didn't mean it!" Luigi grunted while Mario tried to struggle out of Luigi's grasp.

"But why? What did I do wrong?"

"I'll tell you after Mario calms down!" Luigi turned to Mario. "Mario! Stop struggling! Look at what you did!"

"He deserved it!" Mario shouted. "He insulted us and Princess Peach!"

"Mario, I didn't say that!" Jim begged as he stood back up. "What the freak is going on right now?!"

"You lost your mind, Jim!" Luigi answered. "I don't know how it happened, though!"

"Me neither! Can you let go of Mario, please?" Luigi didn't want to let go of Mario because he was worried Mario was gonna attack Jim again, but decided to after ten seconds.

"Mario, listen to me. I-" Before Jim could explain more, Mario immediately grabbed Luigi's left arm and literally dragged him out of the cell.

"I don't want to hear you anymore!" Mario yelled at Jim. "You're full of crap! That's what you are!"

"No, I'm not!" Jim exclaimed; he started to tear up a bit.

"Stop that crying and go away with Toadsworth! Me and Luigi are gone!" Mario proceeded to pull Luigi upstairs while Jim tried to go after them.

"NO! MARIO! COME BACK!" Jim cried.

"Mario, let go of me!" Luigi ordered Mario, trying to pull Mario's hand off his arm. "Rethink this!"

"I've thought about it already!"

"LUIGI! TELL HIM TO STOP!"

"I'm trying!" Luigi responded. "Mario, cut it out!"

"Stop talking to that childish brat!" Mario shouted. "We're saving Princess Peach by ourselves!"

"MARIO! LUIGI!"

"I'm sorry, Jim!" Luigi apologized to Jim with despair. "Bro! Please stop dragging me!"

"You stop babbling too!"

"GUYS! PLEASE! I'M YOUR NUMBER-ONE BUDDY!" Jim wailed, having broken down in tears. "I CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING! TURN AROUND!" But Mario didn't listen and continued to pull Luigi with him.

"Watt! You're coming too!" Mario ordered Watt, who hesitated for a moment before catching up with Mario and Luigi.

"PLEASE...! MARIO...!" Jim sobbed, having seen Mario and friends disappear to the left. "FUDGE...!" Jim slowly walked up to the wall next to the cell bars and laid his head against it before covering his left eye again.

"W-what have...I-I d-done...?! W-what d-did...I d-do...to d-deserve th-this...?!"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Jim," Toadsworth reassured Jim. "I'm also frustrated that Master Mario hit you in the face. I mean, look at that black eye." By now, there was a black bruise underneath Jim's eye.

"I-I'm s-sorry...Mr. T-Toadsworth...!" Jim sniffed. "I'm s-sorry...I m-mistreated you...a-and y-your friends...!"

"It wasn't you, Jim," one of the Toads said. "Something must've taken you over."

"I t-tried telling M-Mario that...! He j-just doesn't l-listen...!" Toadsworth went and hugged Jim's leg.

"It's okay, Jim. I understand you," Toadsworth said softly.

"Obviously! Nobody has my back except for you, your friends, and Luigi!" Jim shouted.

"Jim, lower your voice," the second Toad said. "Calm down."

"Calm down?! How can I calm down when my two best friends abandoned me?!"

"I guess you're right..."

"I'll be honest, Jim, I've seen Master Mario lose his temper," Toadsworth said. "But not like this. He would never punch anyone if he doesn't get his way."

"I thought so too!" Jim replied. "But how did I lose it?" He stopped to think things over while taking a few deep breaths.

"Wait. I know why."

"What's the reason?" the third Toad asked.

"The last thing I remembered was me saying how I didn't want to miss the first day of school and I was worried Mom and Dad were gonna ground me," Jim said.

"Yes. I remember it too," Toadsworth agreed. "You even smashed your phone because of the stress you were putting up with."

"I know. That's another thing I remember doing." Jim let out a sigh, having calmed down completely. "I can't believe it. All because of me worrying about school, I went insane. And I pushed Mario and Luigi away because of that."

"You didn't push them away, Jim," Toadsworth said. "Master Mario lost his temper. He pushed himself and Master Luigi away from you, which was uncalled for."

"Yeah." Everyone stopped talking for about a minute before one of the Toads broke the silence.

"Are we gonna stay down here forever?"

"You can't," Jim said. "Mario and Luigi came here to free us. That's what they wanted to do before saving Princess Peach."

"So, how do we get out of the castle?" the fourth Toad asked.

"I can't answer that."

"Why?" the third Toad asked.

"I wasn't the one who traveled a million miles from the Mushroom Kingdom," Jim exaggerated. "How would I have done so? Using special powers?"

"That's true."

"Look, the obvious way is to go back the way Mario and Luigi apparently went, but I wouldn't do that. There are tons of guards walking around down there," Jim explained. "They'll lock you up again if they see you, and... Umm... I don't want this to offend you, but you can't fight for yourselves."

"We're not offended," Toadsworth responded. "I'm totally aware I can't fight the guards. What about you?"

"I guess I could, but-" Suddenly, Jim stopped himself, having realized something else. "Wait a second... I can't go back home..."

"Why? You don't want to be here anymore."

"It's not that, Mr. Toadsworth. It has to do with Mario and Luigi." Without him knowing, Jim blinked his left eye, hurting himself a bit. "Ow! I can't even blink!"

"I'm sorry. I would get you an ice pack, but there's none here," Toadsworth apologized.

"Don't worry about my eye. I'm fine for now. What was I saying?"

"You were saying why you don't want to go home yet," the second Toad reminded Jim.

"Thanks. Mario and Luigi can't fight Bowser by themselves. What if Bowser made himself stronger than last time?"

"That's possible," Toadsworth replied.

"I know Mario's angry and all, but he and Luigi are in deep... Uh... I can't say that word in front of you guys."

"Good choice," the first Toad said.

"Anyway, they need my help regardless."

"Are you sure about that?" Toadsworth asked. "What if the guards get you again?"

"They won't. I'm my own... Wait... I was gonna say, 'I'm my own man', but I'm not a legal adult for another six months. But whatever. I'm my own man," Jim stated. "Mr. Toadsworth, I appreciate you giving me the offer to get outta here, but I can't let down Mario and Luigi."

"Of course, you can't. You're their best friend."

"And Princess Peach needs me just as much as she needs Mario and Luigi," Jim said.

"How are you gonna fight Bowser, though?" the fifth Toad asked.

"There's gonna be some powerups along the way," Jim replied. "They'll help me out."

"I hope so," Toadsworth said.

"All right. Enough talk. I gotta go now," Jim said before starting to run upstairs.

"Okay! Good luck, Jim!" Toadsworth called out while the Toads waved goodbye.

"Thanks!" Despite his black eye, Jim ran as quick as he could. "Don't worry, Princess Peach. I'm coming."


	49. Breaking Point

**Chapter 49: Breaking Point**

For the last several minutes, Mario, having completely lost his cool, continued to drag Luigi down the foyer's upper east hall.

Luigi had been pleading to Mario to reconsider and go back to Jim to apologize, but he didn't listen as he was obsessed with saving Princess Peach. Finally, Luigi threw Mario over his head with his arms, breaking free of Mario's grip. Mario started to charge Luigi, but Luigi pinned him against the wall on his left-hand side.

"Let me go!" Mario screamed. "We're on a mission!" Luigi snatched Mario's cap off his head and tossed it away.

Before Mario could complain about his cap, Luigi yelled louder than Mario, "I DON'T GIVE A SHIZZLE ABOUT YOUR STUPID RED CAP, MARIO! THAT'S THE MOST UNIMPORTANT THING I'VE SEEN YOU OBSESS ABOUT!" Luigi had a scary glare on his face, given he was at the end of his rope.

"But-"

"SHUT THE HECK UP! YOU'VE BEEN THE MOST SELFISH PERSON I'VE EVER COME ACROSS! AND YOU JUST SOCKED A GREAT FRIEND OF OURS ALL BECAUSE YOU EXPECTED HIM TO CALM DOWN WHEN HE COULDN'T!"

Mario began to tear up and his lips started quivering.

"WHAT IS YOU CRYING GONNA DO?! MAKE ME STOP CHEWING YOU OUT AND PINNING YOU AGAINST A WALL?!" Luigi went on. "I'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE THE SO-CALLED 'BIG BROTHER' FOR YOU, WHEN IN REALITY, I WAS BORN SECOND! IF VIOLENCE **WAS** THE ANSWER, I WOULD PUNCH YOUR FACE IN LIKE YOU DID TO JIM, BUT I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT!"

"Then why-" Luigi slammed his hand over Mario's mouth.

"I WILL NOT TOLERATE HEARING YOUR VOICE UNTIL I ASK YOU TO SPEAK! AM I CLEAR?!" Mario nodded his head. "AS I WAS SAYING, I WOULD PUNCH YOU AS REVENGE FOR HURTING JIM WHEN HE DIDN'T DESERVE IT, BUT THAT WOULD MAKE ME A FOOL IN FRONT OF EVERYONE JUST LIKE WHAT YOU DID TO YOURSELF!"

Luigi's voice began to tremble, having been pushed past his breaking point.

"DO YOU EVEN REALIZE HOW MUCH I'VE TRIED TO HELP YOU CONTROL YOUR ANGER?! FOR EVERY SINGLE DAY OF OUR LIVES! AND EVERY TIME YOU PROMISE TO CHANGE, YOU REVERT TO YOUR OLD WAYS AND THE CYCLE CONTINUES! WHO ARE YOU TO THINK YOU CAN DISRESPECT EVERYONE AROUND YOU WHEN YOU'RE NOT YOURSELF?! I SHOULD'VE LET THE COPS ARREST YOU AT SHIVER CITY!"

Mario attempted to wriggle out of Luigi's grasp, but Luigi pushed him harder against the wall.

"NO! YOU DON'T MOVE! YOU DON'T MOVE! BE STILL!" Luigi roared. "NO ONE IS GOING ANYWHERE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Mario nodded his head again. "I'M LITERALLY THIS CLOSE TO GIVING UP ON SAVING PRINCESS PEACH AND LEAVING YOU ON YOUR OWN! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF SEEING YOU BREAKING STUFF, HURTING PEOPLE, MAKING A LOUD SCENE IN FRONT OF A PUBLIC CROWD, AND BEGGING FOR MORE CHANCES TO CHANGE!"

"YOU DON'T DESERVE FOR ME TO BE NICE TO YOU ANYMORE!" Luigi cried with anger. "I'VE BEEN PUSHING MYSELF TO STAY COOL WHENEVER YOU LOSE YOURSELF WHEN I SHOULD'VE TAKEN ACTION RATHER THAN LETTING YOU GET AWAY WITH IT! I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT YOUR ANGRY FACE ANYMORE!" Luigi threw Mario down the way they came before running off to the door leading to the next room and sitting in a corner to cry his eyes out.

Meanwhile, Mario laid still on his stomach, reflecting on every single outburst he had in his life; he was also crying, but not as hard as Luigi was. Both sobbed for ten minutes straight before Mario composed himself and stood back up before putting his cap back on. He saw Luigi still crying with a guilty look on his face.

"If I talk to Luigi, he's gonna jump me again..." Mario said to himself. "Should I leave him alone more, or go for it...?" After 15 seconds, Mario made the decision to talk to Luigi again, but walked slowly so that Luigi wouldn't hear his footsteps.

Mario kneeled in front of Luigi, who was facing the corner the whole time he was alone.

"Um... Uh..." Mario hesitated. "Luigi...?" Mario decided to not touch Luigi because that would make him angry again. "Bro...?"

Luigi finally heard Mario's voice and slowly turned to Mario, whose eyes were red and puffy from crying, but it was less than Luigi's eyes. Luigi took a few seconds to think before he suddenly embraced Mario tight.

"Luigi! That's too tight!" Mario complained.

"M-Mario..." Luigi cried with a scratchy voice. "I-I'm s-so s-sorry...! W-what I-I...s-screamed w-wasn't...true...!" Luigi loosened the hug a bit before Mario hugged Luigi back.

"But you sounded serious," Mario said.

"I-I d-didn't...m-mean t-to sound...th-that way...! I j-just love...J-Jim...just as m-much as...I-I love y-you...and P-Princess P-Peach...!"

"Don't cry, Luigi," Mario coaxed Luigi. "I forgive you. If you still want to let me do the rest by myself, I'll go solo."

"N-no...!" Luigi sobbed. "I-I d-don't wanna...g-go h-home! I-I...need y-you! Please!"

Mario teared up at Luigi's plea, but remained calm.

"Me too, Luigi. That's why we're brothers. Siblings need each other," Mario said before Luigi let go of him. "See? I'm being the big brother now."

"I kn-know... Th-thank you for...b-being th-that...for m-me..." Luigi sniffled.

"Do you want me to go back to the cell and apologize to Jim?" Mario asked.

"No... We n-need to...k-keep going..." Luigi replied.

"Luigi, he's our friend. We should wait for him." Luigi took a deep breath.

"But we don't know where Jim's going. He might be going back to the Star Road because fighting Bowser with the Star Rod is too dangerous for a teenager like him."

"That's possible. Maybe he's doing the right thing for once," Mario said. "But no matter what, Jim will root for us just like everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Yeah. At least Jim did try to help the party guests out of the castle," Luigi responded. "I'm actually proud of him for staying behind, but I was too scared to trust him."

"I guess that means both of us will apologize to Jim after this is over," Mario said.

"I'm sorry I threw your cap away," Luigi apologized. "I should've left it alone because it's the one thing that our fans know about you besides our countless adventures."

"It's okay, Luigi. You didn't ruin my cap."

"All right-y. Can we go now?" Luigi asked.

"If you insist." Mario stood back up before helping Luigi on his feet. "As long as we work together, Bowser won't stand a chance." Mario and Luigi shook hands, officially calling a truce.

"Deal." Luigi turned to Watt, who had been waiting patiently. "Let's-a go, Watt."

Just as Watt caught up, Mario and friends walked into the next room, wondering what traps will hinder their progress this time.


	50. One Last Rematch

**Chapter 50: One Last Rematch**

"Yup. Another Guard Door," Luigi remarked after he, Mario, and Watt arrived in front of a third Guard Door in one of the last rooms in Bowser's Castle.

"Bleeeaaaargh! How the heck did you get this far in the castle?!" the Guard Door questioned with frustration.

"Don't even ask, sir," Mario answered.

"Well, congratulations to you and your brother, Mario," the Guard Door said with sarcasm. "But this is the end of your adventure, I'm afraid. I've got much better defenses than the other Guard Doors do. Your luck has just run out!"

"Oh yeah? More like 'weaker defenses'!" Mario quipped.

"Quiet, Mario! Your words are wasting my time!" the Guard Door retorted. "Come on out, boys!"

"HI-YAA!" four familiar voices cried out. Mario and Luigi smirked, having recognized them. Suddenly, the four Koopa Bros., Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green Ninjakoopa landed in front of Mario and friends.

"Here come the Koopa Bros.!" Red Ninjakoopa announced. "I bet you never thought you'd see us again, huh, paisanos?"

"No, but it's awesome to see you again!" Mario beamed.

"Yeah, that's right! We were too cool to forget! A lasting impression, yeah!" Blue Ninjakoopa responded.

"Now they're going to beat you within an inch of your life! Feel like running away, worms?" the Guard Door asked Mario and Luigi.

"Absolutely not, sir! We'd love to go toe-to-toe with these bad boys again!" Luigi boasted.

"Wow. Nice confidence you got there, greenie," the Guard Door sarcastically praised Luigi. "Tell you what: if you beat them, you can go through here. Of course, you'll fail, but at least you can try. Geeaarrrharharhar!"

"Don't think we're like before! We've increased our power beyond our wildest dreams!" Red Ninjakoopa said.

"Increased your power?" Mario chuckled. "Yeah, right. You probably got another Bowser robot that'll make me and Luigi die of laughter!"

"That's not what Red meant, imbecile!" Yellow Ninjakoopa butted in. "We've been working hard to break out of our own dungeon and we eventually learned a new technique, training our butts off 24/7 for the last two straight days!"

"And because of that, we're not just the Koopa Bros.," Green Ninjakoopa chimed in. "Red, Blue, Yellow, what's our new name?"

"THE SUPER ULTRA MIGHTY KOOPA BROS. THE GREAT!" all four Koopa Bros. said before snapping their fingers. Mario and Luigi laughed so hard they fell on the floor.

"Here we go again..." Blue Ninjakoopa sighed. "We didn't intend to be comedians..."

"Hey! Get up right now!" Red Ninjakoopa ordered the Mario Bros. "What did I tell you about laughing at us?"

Mario and Luigi got up, but they were still laughing.

"I'm s-sorry! Y-you're just th-the f-funniest b-bosses we've m-met!" Mario chortled.

"Yeah! Th-the Super U-Ultra Awesome... M-Mega... Whatever n-nicknames you c-came up w-with!" Luigi laughed.

"Forget about our nicknames!" Red Ninjakoopa demanded. "Now wipe those smirks off your faces and we'll show you what we've got!"

"Yeah! Check out our coolest-" Suddenly, someone else interrupted Blue Ninjakoopa's comment.

"Uaaaaaaghhhh! I found you again!"

In a flash, Jr. Troopa came busting in from the ceiling, scaring the Koopa Bros. into running back the way the group came. His body eggshell was 75% broken while there were only a couple eggshell pieces on his head. Mario and Luigi immediately stopped laughing.

"J.T.?!" the Mario Bros. exclaimed with shock.

"Don't you ever give up?!" Luigi asked with anger.

"Never! Not until I score two more wins for myself including this one!" Jr. Troopa boomed. "I promised I'd win three times before I officially leave you alone! Hahaha!"

"All because of the playground?!" Mario questioned.

"Don't even go there! You know I've been ticked off about it from Day 1! Now check this out!" Jr. Troopa pulled out three powerups from behind his back: a Wing Feather (a typical white feather), a Metal Mushroom (a blocky black eyeless Mushroom with shades of pink, yellow, and blue), and an Invisible Orb (a slightly invisible blue sphere).

"Oh no... He's not messing around this time..." Luigi murmured.

"Hey! Those are MY powerups!" Mario argued, having recognized all three powerups from his 1996 adventure.

"Not anymore! Now there's no chance of you winning! Hehehe!" Jr. Troopa proceeded to use the Metal Mushroom first before the Invisible Orb and the Wing Feather. His body became dithered and metallic with two metal wings forming on the back of his head.

For this battle, Mario swapped Watt with Goombario.

"Remember when Jr. Troopa stole your father and Goompa's stuff?" Mario reminded Goombario. "This is your chance to get revenge."

"I'm ready!" Goombario declared. "Let's go!"

To kick off the battle, Jr. Troopa did a forward flip as part of a diving kick. An advantage of the Invisible Orb is that he can attack physically, but his opponents' attacks will go through his body.

Mario and Luigi ducked to avoid the kick while Goombario jumped to his right. While he was behind Mario's back, Jr. Troopa tried to throw a punch at Mario's head, but Goombario saw it coming and jumped in the way; he was thrown back against the Guard Door, but he was not seriously injured.

"It would've been worse if Jr. Troopa had a spear or something," Goombario said to himself while standing back up. Meanwhile, Luigi distracted Jr. Troopa by jumping as high as he could, slightly hovering upon the jump's highest point. Jr. Troopa jumped at the same time, hoping to backflip kick him while hovering, but only got as high as Luigi's knee before quickly dropping to the floor.

As Mario prepared to take his next move, he saw Jr. Troopa attempt to do the backflip kick before falling. "He doesn't know the Metal Mushroom increases his weight," he told himself. "Maybe he thought it only increased his strength."

Five seconds, Jr. Troopa began to flash between his regular and dithered form; his metal form was also wearing off. At the same time, he tried to kick Luigi in the crotch, thinking the Metal Mushroom will hurt Luigi more than a regular kick.

At the last second, Jr. Troopa turned back to normal and Luigi barely felt Jr. Troopa kicking him.

"What are you trying to do?" Luigi asked. "Kick me in the crotch?"

Suddenly, Jr. Troopa realized his invisible and metal form wore off, but his head wings remained.

"Are you- What?!" Jr. Troopa cried with shock. "I thought those powerups were permanent!"

"Heh! You should've known they weren't before you used them!" Mario taunted Jr. Troopa.

"Did you know powerups wear off after a certain time period?" Goombario asked. By now, Jr. Troopa was getting angrier.

"Who said that?!"

"Uh, whoever spawned these powerups?" Mario stated. "It was probably the Stars that-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Jr. Troopa exclaimed with rage. "At least I can still fly, which means I'm gonna win after I-"

Suddenly, Luigi lunged for Jr. Troopa and grabbed his body, nearly cracking the shell.

"No! No one touches my shell!" Jr. Troopa tried to fly out the way he came through the ceiling with Luigi holding on to him.

"Mario, let's give Luigi a boost!" Goombario said. He and Mario ran toward Luigi and grabbed his legs before pushing him and Jr. Troopa through the hole. Luigi and Jr. Troopa ended up on the castle's roof beneath Peach's castle's yard. Jr. Troopa's body shell had cracks all around.

"No more stalking us, J.T.!" Luigi declared. "It ends tonight!" Just as Jr. Troopa did the diving kick attack again, the wings on his head began to flash, indicating his flying ability was about to wear off. Luigi jumped out of the way and punched Jr. Troopa's back, destroying the shell and exposing his entire yellow body.

"You son of a gun!" Jr. Troopa screamed, having noticed the shell pieces scattered on the roof. "That's the last straw!" The wings on his head immediately disappeared.

"And that's the last time you'll ever fight in your life!" Luigi retorted before he grabbed Jr. Troopa's head with his left hand and tossed him off the roof.

"CURSE YOOOUUUUU!" Jr. Troopa shouted as he fell to his death.

"Goodbye forever, J.T.," Luigi stated before going back into the Guard Door's room.

"I heard all that, bro!" Mario cheered before he and Goombario high-fived Luigi. "It's about time we got rid of that obnoxious whiner!"

"And no one will break into my home again!" Goombario added in.

"What did I just see?" the Guard Door questioned. "Since you beat the guy that beat the Koopa Bros., does that mean you beat the Koopa Bros.?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mario replied.

"No. You beat him, he beat them... But you didn't actually lay a finger on..."

"Just shut up already! Nobody cares anymore!" Luigi said with irritation.

"Okay, fine! It's too confusing anyway!" the Guard Door grouched. "I guess there was no big difference between that guy and the Koopa Bros. I'll let you go through, but it's still not possible for you to beat King Bowser anyway. I'll let you have the honor of being beaten personally by the evil King Bowser. Lucky you!"

The Guard Door opened, revealing an elevator at the end of the hall.

"This has to be the castle's exit," Mario said. He beckoned Luigi and Goombario into the elevator, which had two buttons; the top one would take them out of Bowser's Castle and stop in Peach's castle's yard.

During the short elevator ride up, Mario silently prayed for him and Luigi to win the final fight against Bowser.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**The Wing Feather, Metal Mushroom, and Invisible Orb have the same abilities as Mario's cap powerups from **_**Super Mario 64**_**.**


	51. Deja Vu

**Chapter 51: Déjà vu**

It's now 8:07 PM, over a half-hour since Mario and friends began marching through Bowser's Castle to reach Peach's castle. The elevator that was located beyond the third Guard Door stopped in Peach's castle's yard; the door slid open, allowing Mario, Luigi, and Goombario to exit.

Mario and Luigi gazed up the front of the castle and harked back three and a half days ago when Peach's party was just beginning before Bowser ruined everything.

"What's weird is I feel like we rewound back to the party, except it's night outside," Mario said.

"Me too," Luigi agreed. He went to the castle's front door and opened it before allowing Mario and Goombario to go in first. Most of the party tables and chairs were knocked over and there were shattered drink glasses and tablecloths on the floor, which was covered with muddy footprints from the Koopatrols' boots.

"Whoa," Mario said while looking around the whole foyer. "There must've been a huge ruckus while the ground was shaking."

"How much higher until we find Bowser?" Goombario asked.

"I don't know. He might be on the roof," Luigi replied. The group continued upstairs through the second floor and up the staircases leading to the third floor. Mario stopped Luigi and Goombario before checking his Star Power Band.

"Should I pump my fist forward during the Star Beam, or are the Star Spirits gonna hover over Bowser?" Mario asked.

"I don't the answer to that one either," Luigi answered. "I would say try the 'fist' method first, but if it's not it, Bowser'll win easily."

Mario opened the door, letting Luigi and Goombario go first before he took the lead again. Mario spotted the broken glass that spread everywhere during the ill-fated battle and even visualized himself being seriously injured before Bowser threw him out the window.

"It'll be fine, Mario," Luigi reassured Mario. "He won't kill you this time." Suddenly, Mario and friends heard a distant evil laugh from outside the window.

"Get ready, guys," Mario told Luigi and Goombario. Within seconds, Bowser flew in front with his Koopa Clown Car and jumped to the floor; the Koopa Clown Car hovered outside for the time being.

"Gwahahahaha!" Bowser laughed. "If it isn't my old pals, Mario and Luigi! I've been waiting patiently for you two..."

"Where's Princess Peach?" Mario demanded calmly.

"She's okay, Mario. Don't fret about her," Bowser lied. "I'm truly amazed that you managed to come this far. How lucky...for me." Bowser took out the Star Rod and pointed it to the ceiling.

"You've been a distraction for far too long, Mario Bros!" Bowser went on. "It'll be a pleasure to squash you personally! Again!"

Without further ado, Bowser casted his invincibility spell, creating a bright shield around his body. Luigi and Goombario covered their eyes while Mario looked down to check his Star Power Band.

"You fools! You can't beat me!" Bowser declared. "You know why? BECAUSE I AM INVINCIBLE! BWAHAHA!"

"Not for long!" Mario retorted before he pushed the band's teal circle and thrusted his fist forward. A bright bluish-white beam shot directly at Bowser's chest, shattering his shield within two seconds.

Bowser was blinded by the beam, so he couldn't see his shield being broken until the beam disappeared.

"Huh? What did you hit me with?" Bowser asked before looking at his body, which was turned back to normal. "Holy criminy! What happened to the power of that stupid Star Rod?!"

"It's gone! That's what happened!" Mario exclaimed before Luigi handed him the Super Mushroom that was kept away earlier. He grew a foot taller and a white glow surrounded his body.

"All right! You want to play this your way?" Bowser asked. "Sure thing!" Bowser breathed a stream of fire at Mario while Luigi took Mario's hammer. The fire breath was ineffective because Mario's Super form extinguished it upon contact.

"Urgh! I should've known that powerup-" Bowser started to say before Luigi jumped toward him and smacked his face with the hammer three times, pummeling him to the ground. Before Goombario could make his move, Bowser quickly used the Star Rod to make himself invincible and jumped back on his feet.

"I don't care if you destroy my shield! I'm gonna win regardless!" Bowser roared. He ran up to claw Mario, but Luigi acted quick and jumped onto Mario's head before Mario grabbed Luigi's legs and both divebombed to the ground. Luckily, Bowser didn't claw Goombario as he was already out of reach.

Next, Mario fired the Star Beam again while Bowser had his back turned, destroying his invincibility once more.

"How much more are you gonna fire that light at me?!" Bowser shouted while turning to Mario.

"Until you give up!" Mario answered in a deep voice, which was due to the effect of his Super form. Meanwhile, Goombario jumped forward and headbonked the back of Bowser's head, knocking him to the floor.

"Oh my God..." Bowser groaned while standing back up. "How did you all get so strong?"

"Do you even know who we are?" Mario asked before his Super form wore off. "I don't need to tell you."

"Yeah, you don't need to tell me!" Bowser responded with sarcasm. "This battle was just a warm-up for me! How about following me to where we'll settle it all?" Bowser took out a keypad and pushed its single orange button to summon his Koopa Clown Car before flying out the window.

"He's heading to the roof, bro!" Mario said. "We have to hurry!" He led Luigi and Goombario down the rest of the hall before climbing two flights of stairs and arriving on the outdoor bridge Peach traversed before she was spotted and taken back to her room. Through the next door was a spiral staircase that took the group to the top of its tower. What will Mario and friends find upon reaching the top? How will Bowser fight them next?


	52. Upgrading the Star Rod

**Chapter 52: Upgrading the Star Rod**

Rewinding to 7:20 PM, just as Mario and friends took off from the Star Road to Bowser's Castle, Kammy arrived at a giant platform where Peach was tied to a six-foot tall pole near the north end of the platform.

"Okay, Princess Peach!" Kammy said while stopping in front of Peach and getting off her broomstick. "I know you don't care about what I'm doing right now, but I'd like to tell you something."

"Anything but mentioning Mario and Luigi," Peach requested.

"Why? Am I gonna make you scream for them if I mention their names?"

"No. I-"

"Yes, you are!" Kammy interrupted. "That's what you've always done! What is it that causes you to scream for them anyway? Is it a nervous tic?"

"Who cares? Nobody!" Peach shouted.

"Oh, I care about it just as much as King Bowser does, Princess Peach," Kammy responded. "Now, allow me to do something first before I tell you what I want to say."

Kammy walked to the east end of the platform and took out a small notepad with a blue pen.

"All right. Let's see here..." Kammy said to herself. She flipped a couple pages to a checklist called "Power Platform Assets".

"Electric generator... Check," Kammy began while going over the checklist. "Structural support... Check. Smoke and light display... Check. Face lights... Check. User detector... Check. Hovering thrusters... Check. Spiky spin tables... Check. Invisible barriers... Check."

Having finished her checklist, Kammy turned on her earpiece and said, "Your Vileness."

"Yes, Kammy?" Bowser replied over her earpiece.

"I just looked over the checklist, and the Power Platform is ready to be fired up once those Mario Bros. arrive at our castles!"

"Are you sure you've looked it over?" Bowser asked. "You should look over it at least one more time. I don't want any of those assets to stay off while you power up the platform."

"Absolutely. I will do so," Kammy said before turning off her earpiece. She took a couple minutes to look over her checklist again before putting away her notepad and pen. Kammy then approached Peach again.

"Sorry about that. I had to talk to King Bowser about something."

"What was it about?" Peach asked with curiosity.

"None of your business! No one eavesdrops on his evildoings like you've done all the time since we locked you in your bedroom!" Kammy replied with frustration. "Speaking of which, how come King Bowser didn't pay any mind to whatever path you've been using to escape?"

"He's an idiot! That's who he is!"

"An idiot? Absolutely not!" Kammy retorted. "He's been the smartest Koopa I've known since we first met! He came up with the awesome idea of constructing a hidden castle underground before lifting your castle into the sky!"

"Your guards are also idiots, Kammy!" Peach said. "They began to disappear one by one because they were too lazy to catch me while I was sneaking around!"

"Wow. I didn't know that," Kammy lied. "You're not just a tough princess. You're a smart one too."

"I had to spray and slap Bowser! He was harassing me!" Peach argued.

"No, he wasn't. He just cares about you so much," Kammy replied. "Didn't I mention he's thinking about marrying you?"

"NO!" Peach screamed while struggling. "I'LL NEVER MARRY A CREEP LIKE HIM! HE'S EVEN WORSE THAN THAT MENTALLY ILL PERSON CALLED BOOSTER!"

"Hmm... I've heard about that man..." Kammy said. "You're right about him being mentally ill because he doesn't know what a wedding is and assumed you crying was a simple salty water leak."

Even Peach was angry, she started laughing, having remembered Booster's antics four and a half years ago.

"Stop that laughing, Princess Peach!" Kammy ordered Peach. "This is no joking matter!"

"Fine," Peach gave in while calming down.

"Anyway, here's what I really wanted to say," Kammy started. "The platform you're standing on is obviously where King Bowser will battle Mario and Luigi, but it will not be a simple fight. That Star Rod's invincibility spell is currently at 50% of its actual power because once he steps on this platform, he'll be more invincible than he'll ever be in his life."

"On top of that, I've installed some cool special effects such as a smoke and light display, spinning spikes, and an orange face bright enough to attract the guards' attention," Kammy went on. "So, not only will it serve a serious purpose, but it should make it even more fun to watch King Bowser destroy Mario and Luigi! How about that?"

Before Peach could reply, Kammy butted in, knowing what she's gonna say. "Nonono. Don't speak. You don't care. That's what you're thinking."

"It's not that, Kammy," Peach said. "It IS actually gonna be a fun time."

"Oh great! I'm glad you're willing-"

"To see Bowser be crushed by Mario and Luigi!"

"Shut it, Princess Peach!" Kammy yelled. "I'm giving you one warning! If I hear you say Mario or Luigi's names, I'll tape your mouth so I won't hear a single word from you!"

"But what if Twink wants to speak to me?"

"Who's Twink?" Kammy asked while denying Twink's appearance. "And what kind of name is that?"

"It doesn't matter! I can speak whenever I want!" Peach said.

"Nope. You're not saying anything. After all, you should treat this like it's a movie. Moviegoers don't speak while watching it, you know."

"This is an exception! I get to interact-" Suddenly, Kammy pointed her wand at Peach's mouth, but didn't do anything else.

"You better watch your mouth, Princess Peach," Kammy threatened Peach. "Do not test my rules." Kammy walked back to her broomstick. "I'd like to talk with you more, but I gotta check on King Bowser for now. Don't move a muscle." Kammy proceeded to fly away from the Power Platform, leaving Peach by herself.

"I really want to say 'Mario! Luigi!', but I know they're not here yet," Peach said to herself. "I'll wait until they show up. I swear."


	53. The Mighty King Bowser

**Chapter 53: The Mighty King Bowser**

"I can't believe we're almost there, Mario," Luigi said prior to reaching the top of the spiral staircase.

"I know. I'm half nervous, half determined," Mario replied. He proceeded to swap Goombario with Watt.

"Where are we right now?" Watt asked.

"We're officially going to fight Bowser for real and stop his evil wishes," Mario answered. He opened the door leading to the tower's balcony and saw the Power Platform where Peach was tied up and Bowser and Kammy were standing in the middle. There was a stone path that connected the platform to the balcony.

After taking a deep breath, Mario said in Italian, "Buona fortuna, squadra. Ne avremo bisogno. (_Good luck, team. We're going to need it._)"

Without further ado, Mario, Luigi, and Watt crossed the bridge and set foot on the Power Platform before walking up to Bowser.

"Gwahahahaha! Welcome to your nightmare, Mario and Luigi!" Bowser announced. "You should just thank me because since you've been my rivals for so long, I've arranged a special arena for your defeat!" Bowser snapped his fingers, causing the bridge to break apart. At the same time, Kammy cast a spell to activate the invisible barriers so that Mario, Luigi, Watt, and Peach wouldn't escape.

"Gwahaha! Like it? You're completely trapped! How does it feel, huh?"

"We're not gonna feel anything until you fall on your stomach!" Mario replied.

"Is that so? Bleah nyeah heh hee ha heh!" Kammy laughed. "You fell right into our trap! And you call yourself heroes?! Did you think we were foolish enough to just sit back and watch as you saved the Star Spirits?"

"Yes! You didn't have the common sense to leave the castle and stop us yourself!" Luigi answered.

"I did too, Luigi!" Kammy argued. "I WAS gonna fly to Dry Dry Ruins last Saturday, but I was distracted by learning that Princess Peach looked in King Bowser's diary!"

"Yeah! No one reads my diary!" Bowser added in.

"Anyway, I've put together a little surprise for you: a device that increases King Bowser's power more than before! He will be so powerful that not even the power of the Star Spirits can compare!"

Mario and Luigi's hearts began beating fast, knowing they could lose.

"He'll now truly be invincible thanks to my wisdom!" Kammy said before turning to Bowser. "Now, my king, are you ready to be powered up?"

"Yes! Light her up!" Bowser replied with enthusiasm. With that, Kammy casted a spell that caused the spiky spin tables to start spinning, the smoke and light display to turn on, and the face lights to glow bright orange. Seconds later, several lightning bolts shot up from underneath Bowser and mildly shocked him as the first step to powering him up.

"Uuuuaaaaahhhhh!" Bowser yelled while convulsing. He then grew ten feet taller than his normal height and glowed blue green.

"Yes! Yes! Kammy, you are awesome!" Bowser exclaimed. "I feel like I'm exploding with power! Now I'll be able to squash these cheeky plumbers!"

"Go get them, Your Evilness!" Kammy declared. Mario and Luigi shook with nervousness at the sight of Bowser's powered up form.

"I don't know about this, bro..." Mario murmured. "He's probably gonna kill us..."

"Maybe..." Luigi replied silently.

"Hey, you! Mario and Luigi! It's not going to be like before, you mustached wimps! Prepare to be beaten by the likes of me!" Bowser hollered before taking out the Star Rod and pointing it up at the sky. "Now, time to increase my power with my good old Star Rod! Here I go!" Again, Bowser cast his invincibility spell, creating a brighter light than when he used the Star Rod earlier.

Mario and Luigi were too slow to shield their eyes and were nearly blinded by the light. Seconds later, a thicker shield covered Bowser, increasing his level of invincibility.

"Should we try the Star Beam again?" Mario whispered to Luigi.

"Try it. It's the best we can do for now," Luigi replied quietly.

"Okay, Bowser... Uh..." Mario started to say.

"What's with the hesitation, Mario? Are you scared?" Bowser asked.

"No... No, I'm not..." Mario raised his fist toward Bowser to activate the Star Beam again. Bowser decided to wait until Mario's move to attack him and Luigi.

"Very well! Shoot me, if you will!" Mario waited for a few seconds before ramming his finger on the teal circle and shooting the Star Beam at Bowser's chest. Two seconds later, the beam faded away with the shield still intact.

"God no..." Mario muttered; he started to tear up, knowing he and his brother's deaths are inevitable.

"Gwahahaha! I told you so, you idiots!" Bowser roared with delight. "That weak attack doesn't affect me anymore! It's so ineffective!"

Before Mario and Luigi could do anything, Bowser shot the Star Rod at Mario, encasing him in a metal casing that fused to the ground before doing the same with Luigi. Both struggled to break free, but they obviously were frozen in place.

"Don't do it, Bowser!" Mario cried.

"Do what? Kill you?" Bowser asked. "I'm thinking about it!" Suddenly, Watt, having watched in horror at what went on so far, made the quick decision to charge Bowser.

"You'll have to get past me first!" Watt shouted. Hearing Watt's voice made Mario and Luigi panic.

"WATT! NO!" Mario and Luigi yelled.

"What is this ball of electricity?" Bowser asked. "Buzz off!" He casted a spell that caused a lightning bolt to shoot from the ground and shock Watt.

"GGYYYAAAAAHHH!" Watt screamed with agony while being overloaded with the bolt's intense power. Five seconds later, she exploded, sending small electric volts all over the place. Her blue pacifier dropped on the ground before Bowser picked it up and tossed it off the platform.

Mario and Luigi sobbed at the death of Watt; she was one of their closest partners during the whole adventure.

* * *

Meanwhile, Peach watched in terror as the battle began to commence.

"No! Mario! Luigi!" Peach yelled before Kammy flew in front of her.

"What did I say about saying their names?" Kammy questioned with irritation. "Your speaking-" Suddenly, Kammy was hit by an unknown object and knocked her off her broomstick.

The ropes holding Peach to the pole loosened up and dropped to the ground, confusing her. "What's going on?"

"It's me, Princess Peach!" a familiar voice called out just as Kammy got back on her broomstick. It was Twink that knocked her off the broomstick; he flew in front of Peach, exciting her at his return.

"Twink! I'm so glad you're okay!" Peach squealed.

"You insolent little Star Kid! How dare you!" Kammy exclaimed while flying in front of Peach and Twink. "If you think you can fight me, you're too young to do so!"

"I... I... I'm not afraid of you!" Twink uttered with hesitation.

"Be careful, Twink!" Peach said while Twink charged Kammy and hit her face, but it didn't do any damage.

"Nyeah heh hoo hah... Did I just feel a breeze? Was that really your attack?" Kammy asked before formulating a Yellow Block above his head and dropping it on Twink, knocking him to the ground. Peach got scared for a moment before Twink got back up.

"Please, Twink... You can do it..." Peach prayed silently. Twink decided to charge Kammy again. This time, he hurt her like she was hit by a small stone.

"Ow! Why you little whippersnapper!" Kammy grunted. "So, you can fight a little..." Kammy made another Yellow Block and dropped it on Twink. It only caused him to fall until he was a foot above the ground.

Peach prayed again, hoping Twink will try harder. Twink charged Kammy a third time, which hurt her a bit more.

"Yeeow! What's going on?!" Kammy demanded. "Why does it seem like this Star Kid's getting stronger?!" She tried her Yellow Block attack again, but it didn't affect Twink this time.

"No... It can't be... I'm losing already!" Kammy said with despair. Peach prayed for Twink's bravery again, and he charged Kammy one more time, knocking her off her broomstick and over the invisible barriers. Peach and Twink looked through the barrier and watched Kammy fall to her death. At the same time, the broomstick became limp and turned gray.

"What do we do now, Twink? We have to help Mario and Luigi!" Peach said.

"Well, you praying for me to defeat Kammy... You're making wishes to give me more power!" Twink answered. "You should make another wish! This time, wish to give more power to the Star Spirits! Think of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Star Road, Mario and Luigi... Make a wish to the Stars, thinking of all those things! If your wish is strong enough, it will reach the Star Spirits and give them strength!"

"Okay... I'll try..." Peach replied.

"Good! I'll go and tell the Star Spirits right now!" Twink immediately flew off to the Star Road, but before Peach could make her wish, she was suddenly encased in a metal casing that bonded with the ground.

* * *

Just earlier, Bowser was watching with glee as Mario and Luigi struggled with fear, crying about their doom.

"Bwahahaha! What's the matter, Mario and Luigi? You feeling a bit under the weather? Huh?" Bowser taunted. "You should just give up now that I literally beat you to the ground! Actually, I want you to do something for me. But give me one second first."

Bowser turned to Peach, who was about to make her wish and put her in the metal casing.

"No! I can't move! Mario! Luigi!" Peach screamed.

"Man, you're so annoying, Princess Peach," Bowser said before using the Star Rod to spawn a piece of duct tape over her mouth. She couldn't speak a word and could only watch what was about to happen.

"All right. That's more like it," Bowser sighed before turning to the Mario Bros. "Now, back to what I was saying. You know this Star Rod is the most powerful thing in the world you can ever imagine, and I've told you that a zillion times. But me saying it again right now means that I swear it's REALLY powerful. So, I have just come up with a big wish, and I wanna leave it to you to help me out."

"I'm giving you two options here," Bowser continued. "You can grant my wish to rule the whole world and make everyone my slaves including you two and Princess Peach. Or, if you decide to stand your ground, I will send Princess Peach off this Power Platform, leaving her to fall to her death. I've said this before: I do not believe in third options; therefore, this situation is a black-and-white kind. I'm allowing you to make the decision and that's the only thing I want to hear out of your mouths. So, what will it be? Grant my wish or kill Princess Peach? It's one or the other."

Hearing Bowser's sadistic offer made Mario and Luigi squirm more and cry harder than before; they didn't want to choose either choice.

"Come on, guys. I'm on a tight schedule," Bowser said while tapping his foot. He began to grow impatient with Mario and Luigi not saying anything. "Okay. I'm not asking you again, Mario Bros. This is your last chance. If you don't make a decision, I'll decide for you."


	54. A Star-Powered Showdown

**Chapter 54: A Star-Powered Showdown**

"Please, God... Please help Mario and Luigi..." Peach begged silently with her eyes closed. "Help everyone... Give them what they deserve... We deserve peace... Not tyranny... Please..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Bowser kept his eye on the depressed Mario and Luigi as they continued to struggle in their metal casings.

"Are you just gonna give me the silent treatment? Huh?" Bowser asked. After three more seconds, he spoke again. "I guess that's a 'yes', then. And I'll choose myself! Gwahahaha!"

Bowser leaned his head back with some flames licking the corners of his mouth. "But first, I'd like to make some sausages out of you! I haven't had dinner yet!" Mario and Luigi closed their eyes tight.

"Goodbye, bro...!" Mario cried.

"I'll miss you too...!" Luigi responded between sobs.

"Two Italian sausages, coming up!" Bowser declared. Just as he started breathing fire, he was hit in the mouth by two giant ice balls, temporarily freezing his lips and knocking him on his back.

Mario and Luigi, who had been bracing for their deaths, became confused at why Bowser was knocked over until their metal casings were shattered and they fell on their stomachs.

"What the freak...?" Mario muttered while looking to his left and right. Suddenly, a hand with a blue glow grabbed Mario's arm and pulled him on his feet. Mario looked up and became surprised instantly. It was Jim, who had acquired a Super Mushroom and an Ice Flower at the same time. His black eye was also gone.

"I told you you needed help," Jim said in his Super form's voice. Mario started crying tears of joy while Luigi was helped up.

"You... You came for us..." Mario whimpered. "Thank you..."

"Did you...break the metal...we-" Luigi started to ask; he wasn't crying as much as Mario.

"Yes. I did," Jim answered. "Are you okay?"

"Kind of..." Mario said before taking a deep breath. "One of our partners was killed."

"She was too young to die," Luigi added in.

"GRAAHHH! WHO FROZE MY MOUTH?!" Bowser roared while getting back up; his mouth healed quickly due to his invincibility. Jim stepped forward a couple steps.

"Take a guess," Jim replied. Bowser looked at him for a couple seconds before realizing who he was.

_*TEN YEARS AGO*_

_Jim turned to Mario and said, "Let's end this now," His voice was a bit deeper as a result of his Super form._

_Mario immediately got up and ran to the last remaining Mechakoopa while Bowser resumed shooting Bullet Bills. He was able to dodge them while throwing the Mechakoopa to Jim._

_"Game over, Bowser!" Jim yelled. He proceeded to toss the Mechakoopa at the Koopa Clown Car's propeller, which immediately broke into small pieces since Jim's throw was mightier than everyone else's. The Koopa Clown Car began spinning very fast and flying in random directions. Jim waited until Bowser went under the hole leading to the SS Koopa's deck and leaped underneath the Koopa Clown Car before punching it upwards._

_"GAAAAH! FOILED AGAIN!" Bowser screamed as he was launched through the deck door into the sky._

_*PRESENT DAY*_

"No... Not you..." Bowser murmured with disbelief.

"Oh, yes. It's me, Bowser," Jim boasted. "I'm the third Super Mario Brother!" He did a backflip and landed between Mario and Luigi. "Look what I have for you two."

Jim took out two Fire Flowers and handed them to Mario and Luigi, who used their respective powerup to turn into their Fire forms. Both felt motivated to defeat Bowser again now that they had another ally to help them.

"I have another one for me later on," Jim said.

Suddenly, Twink's voice called out from above, "Mario! Luigi! Use the Star Beam again!"

Mario wasted no time and activated the Star Beam again; this time, the beam was slightly larger and it was colored pinkish white. Three seconds later, the shield surrounding Bowser broke apart like a glass window shattering to pieces. His Star Rod power was officially gone.

"What the flip was that?!" Bowser yelled upon seeing his invincibility was blasted away. "Did you just...?"

"No time for questions!" Mario declared. "We're cooking you for OUR dinner!"

To start the next phase of the final battle, Luigi took Mario's hammer and set it on fire before Mario leaped toward Bowser's head and whacked it three times. On the third hit, Bowser began to fall back before Jim shot an ice ball at his mouth again, freezing it almost instantly.

Bowser managed to stand back up, but couldn't breathe fire for now due to Jim's attack. Bowser tried to charge the group to claw them, but Luigi double-fist punched his skull, knocking him to the ground head-first. Jim then grabbed Bowser's head and pushed him forward toward Peach.

"Watch out!" Mario yelled before Peach ducked. Bowser hit the north invisible barrier and got back up after a couple seconds; the ice in his mouth melted simultaneously. He proceeded to jump back in front of Mario and friends, but Jim acted quick and hurried to Peach before smashing her metal casing and taking the tape off her mouth. His Super and Ice forms wore off a few seconds later.

"Are you okay, Princess Peach?" Jim asked as Peach picked herself up. The next thing he knew, Peach hugged Jim tight, relieved that he saved her life this time. "Oh geez! Not that tight!"

"Thank you, Jim!" Peach squealed while Jim hugged her back. "You're just as Super as Mario and Luigi!"

"It's okay. Calm down," Jim said softly before letting go of Peach. "You're getting too overexcited."

"I know! I just can't believe you're here!"

"No problem. Sit tight, Princess Peach," Jim said before running back to Mario and Luigi. As he approached the Mario Bros, Mario tossed his hammer into Jim's hands before he threw it over his head into Bowser's chest. Bowser was knocked back a small bit, but didn't fall over.

As soon as Mario retrieved his hammer, Jim took out his Fire Flower. "Is it okay if I turn on another burner?" he quipped before crushing the Fire Flower in his hand. As a result, a bright red orange glow surrounded his body and his palms were set on fire.

"It's done, Bowser!" Luigi announced as he took a battle pose.

"Oh yeah!" Mario exclaimed as he prepared himself before Jim did the same.

"Together!" Jim shouted.

All three of them threw their hands forward, screaming, "HEE-YAHH!" A giant fireball the size of Bowser emerged from their palms and rocketed toward him.

Peach braced herself at the same time Mario and friends unleashed the finishing attack. The fireball engulfed Bowser completely, thrusting him off the Power Platform with the Star Rod flying out of his hand. Since Bowser had his Koopa Clown Car keypad with him, he waited until he was out of sight before summoning his Koopa Clown Car and boarding it. He then divebombed toward the ground in an attempt to escape as quick as possible.

Mario, Luigi, and Jim ran to where the Star Rod was falling before Jim jumped up and grabbed the Star Rod with his right hand. Their Fire forms wore off after Jim landed on the platform.

"What a battle that was..." Mario panted, having been exhausted from the intense battle.

"Thanks again, Jim," Luigi thanked Jim. Before Jim could acknowledge Luigi, the Power Platform began shaking violently and loud explosions sounded from below.

"What the heck's going on down there?" Mario asked. Luigi and Jim rushed to the edge of the Power Platform and saw Bowser's Castle was being blown up.

"Mario! Bowser's Castle is blowing up!" Luigi called out, prompting Mario to run toward Peach and carry her to where Jim and Luigi were standing. Seconds later, the Power Platform also began exploding, frightening the group even more.

"What do we do?!" Peach cried. Jim scanned the area below for a quick second before setting his eyes on Peach's balcony.

"We have to jump down there!" Jim yelled.

"Are you serious?!" Luigi exclaimed with fear. "We'll die!"

"No, we won't, Luigi! There's no other way!"

"Please trust him, bro!" Mario urged Luigi. "Jim knows best!"

"Listen to him, Luigi!" Peach pleaded. Luigi grabbed Mario's right hand while Mario held Peach in his left arm. A few seconds later, Bowser's Castle exploded into millions of bricks, steel, and metal. Right as Mario and friends jumped toward Peach's balcony, the Power Platform also blew up, creating a giant shockwave. All but Mario and Peach avoided the shockwave and made it onto the balcony. Mario managed to grab the railing with his right hand, but Peach clung to his left arm, scared about falling to her death.

Luigi helped Mario up onto the balcony, but Peach's hands began to slip off Mario's arm, causing her to scream with terror.

"Grab her!" Mario ordered Jim, who quickly leaned over and grabbed Peach's left arm with both hands before pulling her up safely. She immediately hugged Mario, Luigi, and Jim at the same time, but couldn't say anything because she was crying hard.

"M-Mario...!" Peach sobbed before Luigi and Jim let go of her. She then embraced Mario tight and kissed him on the lips before Mario did the same.

"We should leave them be for a while," Luigi told Jim.

"Yeah," Jim replied before both went through Peach's bedroom toward the castle's front yard. Mario and Peach kissed and hugged each other for a couple minutes before they were ready to catch up to Jim and Luigi.


	55. Making Amends

**Chapter 55: Making Amends**

The time is now 8:30 PM. Upon reaching the castle's front yard, Jim and Luigi saw a giant bubble encasing the whole castle, which lowered slowly to ground level.

"What happened to the castle?" Jim asked.

"I think the Star Spirits saved us," Luigi replied. "Do you still have the Star Rod?" Jim took out the Star Rod and nodded his head yes. Three minutes later, Mario and Peach exited the foyer and approached Jim and Luigi.

"Sorry about that," Peach said. "Me and Mario wanted a moment by ourselves."

"I know," Jim responded. "You two were made for each other." Everyone laughed for a couple seconds before all seven Star Spirits and Twink approached them.

"I think you're looking for this, sir," Jim said to Eldstar before giving the Star Rod to him.

"Oh, thank you so much, kid!" Eldstar thanked Jim. "Who are you, though?"

"I'm Jim Heeding, Mario and Luigi's best friend."

"Very pleasant to meet you, Mr. Heeding. And to Mario and Luigi, many thanks to you too! You brought back our precious Star Rod!"

"It took us ages, Eldstar," Mario said. "But it was worth it."

"It sure was, Mario. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We will use it to bring peace back to this world," Eldstar stated.

"Now we'll be able to grant everyone's wishes again! All of this is thanks to you, Mario, Luigi, and Jim!" Mamar added in.

"When you look at the night sky, you'll know that the glittering stars are praising you for your courage," Skolar explained. "Look upon their bright light and remember our thanks!"

"You really took it to Bowser, Mario and company! Really socked it to him! What impressive strength!" Muskular said with joy. "I knew you could do it!"

"Listen... Don't think we don't know how hard you worked for all of us," Misstar chimed in. "It must have been difficult. We won't forget your efforts."

"I hope Bowser learned something from all this. Maybe he'll behave himself now..." Klevar wondered out loud. "Although I'd say the chances of that are pretty slim."

"Most likely," Luigi responded.

"No words can express completely how thankful we are for all that you've done. Hope has returned, both to the Star Road and to all the Mushroom Kingdom. We're in your debt, Mario and company," Kalmar said.

"How are the prisoners, Eldstar?" Mario asked.

"All of them are in good hands," Eldstar replied. "We made sure they were safe and sound."

"Brilliant."

Eldstar turned to Twink and said, "And Twink, may I say...you really rose to the occasion! You've proven yourself to be a grown-up Star!"

"Teeheehee... Aw, go on..." Twink giggled.

"Well... I think it's time we returned to the Star Road. All of the stars are waiting for us there, no doubt." Eldstar said. "The former prisoners will go back to their homes once we return."

"It is time to say good-bye for now, Mario and company!" Eldstar bid the group goodbye. "May the stars forever shine brightly upon you!" All seven Star Spirits flew away to the Star Road, but Twink stayed behind.

"Well, go on, Twink. The Stars need you," Mario urged Twink.

"Not yet, Mario," Twink said. "I'd like to thank you and Luigi."

"Uh, how about me?" Jim butted in. "I helped defeat Bowser with them."

"Sorry, Jim," Twink apologized. "Thank you for helping us out in the end." Twink turned to Princess Peach. "And Princess Peach... It was an honor to help you in your time of need. I hope...maybe...to see you again sometime... For now, I'm going to become a respectable Star and make people's wishes come true!"

"Thank you so much for helping me, Twink. You've always been a stellar friend to me!" Peach thanked Twink with glee.

"Any time, Princess Peach," Twink replied. "Next time you make a wish, remember how I was there for you. And I'll continue to do so for the rest of my life." Twink began to fly off before turning to the group one more time. "Thank you very much, everybody! I'll always remember you!" He then flew off to the Star Road, leaving Mario, Luigi, Jim, and Peach by themselves.

"Well, thank God it's over," Jim sighed. Suddenly, he saw Mario walk off slowly with his head hung toward the ground. "Mario? Where are you going?"

"Luigi... Jim... Come over here..." Mario said, beckoning Luigi and Jim to walk with him to the bottom left of the yard.

"We'll be right back, Princess Peach," Jim said before catching up with Mario and Luigi. For now, Peach kneeled and stared at the night sky while her castle continued to lower.

"What's wrong this time?" Jim asked Luigi, remembering what happened after Bowser was defeated in Dinosaur Land.

"You'll see," Luigi replied before Mario stopped them from going further. He was beginning to tear up.

"Um... L-Luigi... J-Jim..." Mario trembled as he sat down. "C-Can we...s-sit down...?"

"Sure," Luigi responded before he and Jim sat in front of Mario.

"B-before you...s-start s-speaking... L-let me d-do...all th-the talking..." Mario started. "I... I f-fudged up... A-again..."

"You can't say that-"

But Mario interrupted Luigi while pointing his finger at him. "D-don't... I m-mean i-it..."

"Sorry," Luigi apologized.

"I-If you're...g-gonna t-tell me...th-that n-nothing h-happened...y-you're l-lying...!" Mario cried. He wasn't sobbing yet but was on the verge of it. "I... I c-caused a-all this...! Y-you...d-didn't do...a-anything...! I-I did...! Y-you were...r-right a-after...we l-left Jim, Luigi...!"

"I b-broke...too m-much crap... I s-scared e-everyone...a-around me... I d-disrespected th-those who...w-were nice..." Mario went on; his tears started to flow even more. "I p-pushed y-you both...a-away f-from...m-me...!"

"Don't hug him yet, Luigi," Jim whispered to Luigi. "Let him finish."

"Okay."

"I-I d-deserved t-to be...ch-chewed o-out...b-by you, b-bro...! And... A-and y-you sh-should've...r-ripped my c-cap a-apart before...y-you ran a-away...!"

"Why would I do that, Mario?" Luigi asked. "I told you your cap matters so much to all of us and your fans." But Mario didn't listen and took his cap off with the intention of throwing it overboard.

"NO! DON'T THROW IT!" Jim and Luigi yelled, but Mario threw the cap anyway. It ricocheted off the large bubble and landed several feet behind Jim. Upon seeing his cap bounce off the bubble, Mario collapsed on his stomach and started sobbing so hard, prompting Luigi to crawl toward him.

"Mario. Mario," Luigi said softly, reaching his hand toward Mario's shoulder. "Please."

"P-please w-what...?!" Mario cried. "P-pick up...m-my ch-childish a-and s-stupid...cap?!"

"It's not stupid, bro. I wasn't thinking when I threw your cap. I was just angry that you attacked Jim."

"Th-that's wh-what...I-I was a-about...t-to s-say...n-next...!" Mario lifted his head up but stayed on the ground. Meanwhile, Jim picked up Mario's cap and took it to him.

"Here, Mario," Jim said, handing the cap to Mario. But he slapped the cap out of Jim's hand.

"NO! I DON'T WANT IT!" Mario yelled, scaring Jim a bit.

"Mario, chill out."

"It's not gonna help, Jim," Luigi said while Mario lowered his head to the ground again. "Can you leave me and Mario alone for a bit?"

While Jim walked away a short distance, Luigi turned to Mario and laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, Mario. Breathe," Luigi coaxed Mario, who was starting to hyperventilate.

"C-can y-you...s-stop b-being th-the...big b-brother?!" Mario demanded. "Y-you s-said...y-you didn't...w-want to...h-help me a-anymore...!"

"Mario, I DO want to help you. I swear none of what I yelled was true." But Mario still didn't listen to Luigi.

"Please, Mario? I know I was born after you, but we sometimes got to do a role reversal in case," Luigi said.

"I-I'm s-sorry...I m-made y-you...y-yell at m-me...!" Mario wailed. "It... I-it w-was... I..."

"Oh, Mario... Come here..." Luigi picked Mario up and hugged him. "You didn't deserve to be yelled at... I promise I'll be nice and act like a big brother for you no matter what..." While Luigi hugged Mario, Mario started shaking a bit.

"B-but... B-but y-you..."

"Shh…" Luigi shushed Mario. "It's okay…"

"H-how...is i-it...o-okay?!"

"I know it isn't, Mario… I know…" Luigi held on to Mario for another minute before laying him on his back.

"I'm so sorry I yelled at you," Luigi said. "But you know that you shouldn't have punched Jim in the eye."

"I-I kn-know..." Mario moaned. "C-can I...s-see h-him...?"

"He's coming over." Luigi turned to Jim and called out, "Hey, buddy! Mario wants you!" Within a few seconds, Jim ran up to Mario and saw him lying down.

"Is he okay?" Jim asked.

"No," Luigi replied. "But Mario wants to tell you something." Jim kneeled next to Mario.

"What is it?"

"J-Jim... I-I'm s-sorry...for p-punching y-you..." Mario whimpered. "I-I sh-should've...l-left you a-alone...!"

"It's okay, Mario. I understand what you intended to do even though it wasn't the right way," Jim replied. "If it makes you feel any better, how about I tell you why I went insane?"

"O-okay..."

"All right. Here I go," Jim started. "Right after me and Mr. Toadsworth were locked up, I started imagining myself being freed and going back home after, like, a week. But I know it didn't take that long. I was exaggerating. Anyway, I was worried about missing out on my first day of my senior year and my parents had high expectations for me, given that I wanted to make straight A's."

"It got to the point where I wanted to talk to someone else, so I tried calling you and Luigi multiple times, but there was obviously no service in the dungeon," Jim chuckled, having remembered his calls failing to go through.

"S-stop...l-laughing..." Mario whined.

"Sorry," Jim apologized and stopped laughing. "But seriously, there was no service in there. That got me so ticked that I busted my phone and I had nobody but Mr. Toadsworth and his friends. And that was the last thing I remembered because Mr. Toadsworth told me that was when I started losing it."

"I was talking to myself, saying some weird stuff, and I was smirking at everyone for no reason," Jim went on. "And I even started calling myself Mij." Jim started to laugh again but forced himself not to. "I'm so sorry. This should not be funny. Anyway, I was like this for, like, a day or so before I found myself yelling at a mirror."

"And for some reason, I pulled that mirror off the wall and hit my head on the floor, which made me start talking like other people such as my seven-year-old self and even you, Mario."

Suddenly, Mario started crying again, thinking Jim was insulting him. Jim leaned toward Mario and laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Mario, I didn't mean to upset you. It's all true. I mean it." Jim resumed his story after sitting back up.

"So, yeah. I was talking like crazy before I busted the mirror too and I crashed into the wall before I fell asleep. As soon as I woke up, I was laughing constantly and telling jokes nonstop. Obviously, no one was laughing because they knew I was insane. And that laughing persisted until you and Luigi unlocked the cell."

"I get why you slapped and punched me, Mario. You wanted me to snap out of it," Jim continued. "But you telling me I insulted your parents and Princess Peach, I didn't know I said that either. I'll be honest: I would NEVER intentionally or accidentally say that there's no one to support you. We all love you, Mario."

"I know it sounds awkward for me to thank you for making me normal again, but I got to," Jim went on. "Like I said, something took me over for the last three days and I had no idea what was going on. Mr. Toadsworth said the reason why I lost my mind was because of all the stress about being grounded for who knows how long. And I've been grounded many times in the last few years, which also haunted me while I was locked up. But I'm okay now, and that's all that matters."

"W-why...a-aren't y-you...c-crying...?" Mario moaned.

"I'm being mature, Mario," Jim replied. "I know it's so hard for you, but it's way different for me. Part of being a man is to act casual about your mistakes rather than make a big deal out of it. But I'm not making you do what I'm doing, okay?"

"O-okay..."

"I'm sorry I pushed you and Luigi away," Jim apologized before holding his arms out, prompting Mario to hug him; Mario cried a bit harder.

"I-I'm...s-sorry...too..." Mario cried.

"Can I come in?" Luigi asked before he hugged Jim and Mario.

"I love you guys," Jim said.

"I-I...l-love you too...J-Jim..." Mario replied between sobs.

"Me too, buddy," Luigi added in. The three of them sat together for the next five minutes while Peach's castle finally settled in place where it originally sat; the bubble surrounding the castle disappeared after the castle stopped moving.

Peach didn't want to ruin the heart-to-heart moment between Mario, Luigi, and Jim, so she walked back inside to her bedroom. Because Mario felt too weak to stand back up, Luigi carried Mario back to Mario's Pad with Jim following them. After they arrived at the pad, Jim stopped just short of the steps leading to the front door.

"I'll be right out," Luigi whispered before going inside to tuck Mario into bed. Two minutes later, Luigi walked back outside. "Thanks again for everything, Jim."

"You're welcome, Luigi," Jim replied, shaking hands with Luigi. "This is the most I've seen Mario cry in my life. I remember when he cried about laughing at you after that explosion, but tonight... Well... I guess there was a lot more going on."

"There was. I would tell you more, but it's getting late," Luigi said.

"Yeah. I should probably go home."

"Good idea. I'll talk to you soon, Jim."

"See ya," Jim bid Luigi good night before walking to the back of Mario's Pad where a Terebikko console was stationed. He picked up the phone and pressed the blue 3 button. He then disappeared in a split-second white flash, indicating that he was going back to his home in Austin, Texas.


	56. Peach's Huge Thank-You

**Chapter 56: Peach's Huge Thank-You**

It's 9:45 AM on August 16, 2000. Mario was checking the analytics of the New York Mets on the office study's computer while Luigi was doing the laundry.

"How are the Mets doing, bro?" Luigi asked.

"They just beat the Rockies yesterday, 7 to 5," Mario replied. "The Mets have 70 wins and 48 losses."

"That's great! I hope they keep it up for the rest of the season."

"Me too."

Suddenly, Parakarry's voice called from outside, "Mail call!"

Mario and Luigi instantly remembered the mail delivery five days ago and felt a bit of déjà vu.

"I think this is another party invitation," Mario said before going outside to check the mailbox. He was right; there was a single envelope with Peach's signature and the message "To Mario, Luigi, and Jim" in the center.

"Oh. So Princess Peach is inviting Jim this time," Mario said to himself while going back inside.

"Bro! It IS another party invitation!" Mario called out before Luigi met up with him in the kitchen. He opened the envelope to reveal the letter before reading it out loud.

"Dear Mario, Luigi, and Jim, thank you so much for all of your hard work and perseverance to save the Star Spirits and their Star Rod from Bowser's clutches including myself. I'll talk more about it later because this is Take 2 of that brunch party that Bowser botched five days ago. This time, the party is being held from 10 AM to 12 PM today. Same food, same fun and games, and same guests as last time. But there will be a couple other special guests who I've invited personally. The party will start with a small ceremony before everyone is allowed to get their meals. Other than that, I'm looking forward to seeing all three of you! From, Princess Peach."

"I'll call up Jim, Mario," Luigi instructed Mario. "You wait in the castle for us."

"Sure." Mario immediately went out the front door by himself and entered the Warp Pipe to get to Toad Town. Ten minutes later, he arrived at the foyer of the castle. The number of guests was bigger than last time. Mario spotted Goombario, Bombette, Bow, and Spike to his left talking to each other. But he started to tear up because he knew Watt was killed during the final battle, leaving four of five partners remaining.

A couple minutes later, Jim and Luigi arrived at the castle too. For today, Jim was wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts unlike the previous party, where he wore a t-shirt and gym shorts because Luigi called him up at the last second.

"You look handsome, Jim," Mario complimented Jim while studying his outfit.

"Thanks, Mario," Jim replied. "I wanted to tell you I was gonna bring a video camera with me to film some stuff during the party, but I decided not to."

"Why not?"

"I wanted to enjoy it in person rather than focus on filming the videos properly."

"That makes sense."

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please," a door guard announced from the mezzanine, causing everyone to quiet down. "Princess Peach will be entering the foyer momentarily to speak with you all. Please put away your cell phones for now so as to not disrupt her speech."

Mario, Luigi, and Jim immediately put their cells phones on silent before stowing them in their pockets.

"And now, without further ado, please give a warm welcome to Princess Peach!" Right on cue, Princess Peach entered the foyer to the cheers and applause of all the party guests. She brought in a microphone stand and hooked it up to two speakers already installed on either side of the staircase. Peach then tested the microphone by tapping the end of it.

"Is this on?" Peach asked before hearing her voice on the speakers. "Yeah, it is."

"I hope I don't cry during her speech," Mario whispered to Jim and Luigi.

"Well, good morning, everyone," Peach said. "I'm so pleased to see all of you again after that fiasco Bowser riled up several days ago. I was very disappointed and upset when I felt my castle being lifted into the sky and Bowser's army took everything over in addition to kidnapping all the guests. But Mario and Luigi did all they could and saved me yet again. There's more to it, though."

"The Star Rod stolen by Bowser has been returned to its rightful place in the Star Road, and peace and faith have once again returned to the Mushroom Kingdom," Peach continued. "Above us, the Stars shine with more beauty and power than ever before. It seems that they're sending us their thanks. Mario, Luigi, Goombario, Bombette, Lady Bow, Spike, and everybody across the lands of the Mushroom Kingdom, we've regained peace because of all your efforts. Thank you very much, indeed. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart."

"It wasn't easy for Mario and friends to save the seven Star Spirits and the Star Rod. There was another partner that accompanied Mario and Luigi named Watt. Born a Li'l Sparky, Watt was held hostage by an army of Shy Guys and was freed by Mario and Luigi. Even though she was just born, Watt proved herself to be a brave and strong kid. But unfortunately, Watt sacrificed herself to help defeat Bowser and restore the Mushroom Kingdom to its original glory. Let's take a moment of silence to pray for Watt's wellbeing and for the Stars to watch over her."

For exactly 60 seconds, everyone bowed their heads in silence and prayed for Watt before Peach spoke up again, "Rest in peace, Watt. You will be dearly missed forever."

During the moment of silence, Mario and Luigi cried a small bit, but Jim stayed calm.

"But on the bright side, we have another special guest who also accompanied Mario and Luigi. Well, he wasn't there for the whole adventure, but he played a big part in the Mario Bros' quest. Ladies and gentlemen, Jim Heeding!"

All the guests cheered loudly as Jim showed himself and decided to walk upstairs to join Peach. He took a couple seconds to wave to everyone while Peach handed him the microphone.

"Go on, Jim," Peach insisted before Jim took the microphone. By now, the applause had died down.

"Wow," Jim chuckled. "I didn't know I was gonna walk up here to speak to you. What was I thinking?" Everyone laughed at Jim's comment. "But thank you for coming, like Princess Peach said. It really means a lot to her because she worked hard for the last few days setting everything up to finish what we started on the 11th. I would like to tell you all about me because most of you don't know who I am. You're all like, 'Who is Jim Heeding? How long has he been Mario and Luigi's friend? What's his backstory?' Well, as one may say, there's more than meets the eye."

"I do not hail from the Mushroom Kingdom because I was born in a different world than this one," Jim began his story. "I live with a really nice mom, dad, and older brother. They are, like, the perfect family I belong to. And on top of that, they supported every dream I wanted to make come true. My biggest one is to be not just any ordinary author, but an author that captivates readers in a way to convey emotion and depict different morals in life. Even though I'm still in high school, I've been working on my first novel titled _Dinosaur Land: An Adventurous Experience_. It's about 75% completed, but I am willing to tell you about what the book depicts."

"When I was seven years old on the day after Thanksgiving, my family got a package from a family friend in Japan that contained a telephone game console called the Terebikko, which is hooked up to a video cassette player and allows for kids to interact with anime characters depending on what video they watch. It also came with an anime video that depicts one of the older _Mario_ games. For me, it was way different because the message that came with the Terebikko took the 'interact with characters' description literally." Everyone laughed again for a couple seconds. "What the instructions said was to press this button while holding the fake telephone and looking at the TV screen just after the _Mario_ video started up. It may sound strange to you, but what happened next was I found myself standing next to Mario and Luigi's castle, which was their first home in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"I just had to hug Mario and Luigi as soon as I first met them because I was their biggest fan. It was then that they got a letter from Princess Peach offering to visit her and several Yoshis at Dinosaur Land. Speaking of which, where are you guys? I know you've been invited too."

"Over here!" "Hi!" Yoshi and Red Yoshi called out, waving to Jim. The guests cheered for both briefly.

"Yes. That's Yoshi and Red Yoshi, two of me and the Mario Bros' closest allies for many years," Jim said. "But it wasn't a normal greeting from both. When me, Mario, and Luigi arrived at Dinosaur Land, Bowser's voice said from out of nowhere that he kidnapped Princess Peach and all of Yoshi's friends including Red Yoshi, who we saved later on after Yoshi joined us on our quest. For the next two days, we all pushed ourselves through many obstacles to reach this castle in the middle of a vast plateau where all the Yoshis were kept. It was a successful rescue mission, but what happened next would take a temporary turn for the worse."

"You know that back then, Luigi was halfway in front of the curtains while everyone recognized Mario. Well, after the Yoshis were saved, they only paid attention to him, leaving Luigi by himself with his back turned. I couldn't just stay and shout, 'Hip hip hooray!'. I felt so bad for Luigi that I had to cheer him up myself because no one else saw him. We then had to destroy the castle the Yoshis were trapped in, but a small mishap prompted Mario to ask Luigi to check what was wrong, but he spoke too soon as Luigi was caught in the explosion. I may have been a young kid, but I was brave enough to pull Luigi out of the wreckage."

"But unfortunately, Mario and the Yoshis couldn't help but laugh at all the grit Luigi was covered in following the explosion, and that was the last straw for him because he screamed that he hated Mario and wanted a different brother, which is obviously not true. But to be honest, and this is no joking matter, part of Mario died inside of him because he realized that he made the biggest mistake of his life: laughing at his own brother who could've been killed in a massive explosion. Even though Mario lost it for a while, he was put back on his feet and all of us went to defeat Bowser and save Princess Peach once more."

"Now, I bet all of you are thinking, 'Well, that was some adventure. I'm glad things are normal again.' Not quite yet," Jim continued. "What some of you don't know about Mario is that he's not the 100% happy-go-lucky and cheerful hero you thought he was. Nobody's perfect. Mario was apparently born with anxiety and temper issues that he had to put up with for all his life, but he was able to stay positive and happy whenever possible. Even Luigi has to tend to him despite the fact that he's the younger brother."

"Anyway, immediately after we freed Princess Peach, Mario asked her, Yoshi, and Red Yoshi to leave because he was feeling the depression and guilt consuming him again after holding everything back for so many hours. He even felt like he was going to throw up all over the place. His intention was to apologize to Luigi for not recognizing him after saving Yoshi's friends and for laughing at him after the castle was blown up. But his apology was so intense that it made me confused. I was like, 'What's wrong with Mario? Was he ever like this?' Yes, he was. Mario and Luigi made up afterward, but even after that, those incidents would come back to haunt Mario every now and then. That's another thing Mario had to deal with: being unable to let go of bad memories."

"The good news, however, was that all of us were safe and sound. I had to go back home right after we had a late lunch at the Yoshis' village, which was hard for me because I thought I'd never see Mario and Luigi again. All three of us shared a strong connection with each other, making me feel like I was Mario and Luigi's brother too. But just before I went back home, Mario said that the Terebikko I have can be used to take me to the Mushroom Kingdom and back whenever I feel like it. And ever since that first adventure, me and the Mario Bros became really great friends."

"In fact, the week after the Dinosaur Land adventure, I was given a tour of Mario and Luigi's castle before they surprised me with a wooden plaque that said, 'You're number-one, Jim! We love you!'. That touched my heart more than ever in my life, I can still see myself being handed that plaque and embracing Mario and Luigi as a thank-you. You're really awesome, Mario and Luigi. Thanks again."

The guests cheered for Mario and Luigi for a few seconds before Jim resumed speaking.

"For the next four years, me and the Mario Bros had fun together, playing sports, riding go-karts, and even checking out some of their latest and greatest video games produced by the Japanese video game company called Nintendo. But as soon as I turned 11 years old, I stated my big dream to become an author, prompting my family to tell me to focus hard on all my schoolwork. I didn't want to leave Mario and Luigi, but I had to. And ever since that emotional goodbye, I never set foot in the Mushroom Kingdom again until Princess Peach's first brunch party attempt."

"I got an unexpected call from Luigi, who I have been talking to by phone for the past six years with Mario. He said to come over to the party immediately, no questions asked," Jim continued. "Luigi asked Mario to go by himself to the party to keep it a surprise. And let me tell you, Mario never felt happier in his life when he saw my grown-up face. But the reunion didn't last long because Bowser stole the Star Rod, captured the Star Spirits, and took over Princess Peach's castle. And I was one of the guests who was locked up in Bowser's Castle's dungeon. You wouldn't want to know what it was like down there because I literally went insane up until Mario and Luigi rescued me."

"I was recovering from my insanity and I was asked to go home for the sake of being safe, but I felt the urge to help Mario and Luigi take down Bowser, who made himself invincible with the Star Rod's power. I was nearly too late, but in the end, we all did it. Not just Mario and Luigi, but all five of their companions they met along the way, including the late Watt. Congratulations to you guys."

Everyone briefly applauded for the Mario Bros, Goombario, Bombette, Bow, and Spike.

"Despite the hardships we all went through, it was all fun and games," Jim said. "And they say adventures never end, which is true. But for me... I'm sorry to say this, but..." Jim sighed, not wanting to break the news to everyone. "I... This will be the last time I'll ever set foot in the Mushroom Kingdom." Everyone groaned and awwed with sadness including Princess Peach.

"I know. I'm sorry to say that, but this is one of those adventures that has to end. I can't live like a kid forever. We all have to move on. I will miss every single one of you who was invited to the party, to all the residents across this world, and especially my best buddies Mario and Luigi."

Mario and Luigi teared up while Jim was beginning to say his goodbyes.

"It was a sincere privilege to be your best friend and I will never, EVER forget these days of my life..." Jim also teared up and his voice began to tremble. "B-but n-no...matter w-where...my a-adulthood w-will...take m-me... I-I... I w-will k-keep all...th-the f-fun t-times I...h-had in m-my...heart..."

"A-and M-Mario and L-Luigi...y-you'll a-also h-have...a s-special place...i-in my h-heart too..." Jim cried. "B-but m-most...of a-all..." Jim turned to Princess Peach. "P-Princess P-Peach...you've a-also s-supported me...j-just as much...a-as the M-Mario Bros h-have... Th-thank you...f-for a-all the...m-motivation you've...g-given me to...p-pursue my...d-dreams... It f-felt like...I h-had a s-sister in...a-addition to m-my...b-brother K-Kent...!" Jim finally let the tears flow and gave Peach a big hug, causing the guests to aww again.

"I-I'll n-never r-repay...you f-for b-being another...o-one of th-those r-role...m-models for me...! I-I love y-you...!"

"I love you too, Jim," Peach replied while the guests applauded, knowing Jim is wrapping up his speech. Before Jim knew it, Peach kissed him on the cheek, causing him to cry a bit harder. He let go of Peach a few seconds later before turning to the guests again.

"A-and to...M-Mario and L-Luigi... I l-love you t-too...as a r-really g-great f-friend...!" Jim sobbed while Mario and Luigi began crying too. "Th-thank you...for y-your f-friendship...and f-for b-being there...f-for me...when I-I wasn't f-feeling...myself...! I will...n-never f-forget you f-for w-what...you've g-given me...!" Jim took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. "This... This is goodbye for us...after the party is over... It has been an honor...a privilege...and a pleasure...to serve a purpose for the Mushroom Kingdom... Thank you..."

The guests cheered as loud as they could, giving Jim a standing ovation. He gave the microphone back to Peach before rejoining Mario and Luigi and giving them a hug too.

"Oh my God," Peach said. "What a moving speech that was. If I was in Jim's steps, I couldn't have said anything better. To conclude this ceremony, ladies and gentlemen, I hope that the Mushroom Kingdom will enjoy peace and prosperity for a long time to come. Perhaps forever. This is my heartfelt wish. And we deserve to celebrate and enjoy the festivities because as a whole for the Mushroom Kingdom, we all have a purpose to serve. A purpose that makes us feel proud of what we've become. Thank you."

Again, the guests gave Peach a standing ovation as she went through the second floor door to set up the rest of the party accessories for when the guests will mingle upstairs.


	57. An International Getaway

**Epilogue: An International Getaway**

It has been three days since Peach's brunch party was held and Jim permanently left the Mushroom Kingdom. For Mario, Jim's departure made him so depressed that he couldn't think of anything but him.

In fact, it got to the point where Mario was unable to sleep or eat from the time the party ended up until now. He would cry almost all the time and look at the photo albums that showed pictures of Jim with the Mario Bros in years past. To make matters worse, Mario was left alone in his pad because Luigi had to leave for vocal lessons in Boston's Berkeley College of Music and wouldn't be back until the next day.

Mario's stomach was growling constantly, and his eyes felt like shutting down before Mario drank his daily cup of coffee. Today, Mario felt like no one was around him and that he was the only person in the whole world. He was thinking about talking to someone that cared for him, so he slowly walked out of his pad and through Toad Town with his head hung toward the ground. He was intending to go to Peach's castle again. Because of how slow Mario walked, it took him 17 minutes to reach the castle's front door.

Upon entering the castle, he initially didn't know where Peach was residing at the moment. He then figured she was in her library reading some of her favorite books, so he walked toward the library and creaked open the door before sliding through the crack. He couldn't walk any further and dropped to his knees.

All he could do now was cry out, "P-PRINCESS P-PE-EA-ACH...!"

From the middle of the library, Peach immediately heard Mario wailing and ran up to see him collapsed on the floor. She immediately picked him up and hugged him tight.

"Oh my God, Mario!" Peach said with concern. "What's the matter?" But Mario couldn't answer Peach's question, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Please, Mario. Please say something."

"I-I'm... I n-need...y-you...!" Mario cried.

"I know, darling. I'm glad you found me," Peach replied.

"I-I... P-Princess...P-Peach..." Mario stuttered.

"What?"

"C-can w-we...s-sit s-somewhere e-else...?"

"Sure, we can." Peach stood back up with Mario and put her arm around him before taking him to her bedroom. Peach then sat Mario on her bed before sitting to his left.

"Why are you crying so hard?"

"I-I... Th-there's no o-one...on th-this E-Earth...b-but me...!" Mario sobbed.

"What? You know that's not true."

"It...i-is...! I f-feel...s-so l-lonely...!"

"I'm sorry, Mario... Don't cry..." Peach coaxed Mario before hugging him again.

"I-it's a-about...J-Jim...!"

"What do you mean?"

"I-I...h-haven't e-eaten or...s-slept for th-three...f-freaking d-days...!"

"Wha- Are you out of your mind? All because Jim left for good?"

"Y-yes..."

"Mario, I know you feel depressed about Jim, but that's not the way to handle it," Peach said.

"H-he...w-was my...b-best f-friend...! I-I'll n-never...see h-him again...!"

"You're right. He said he has to move on with his life," Peach replied. "But that shouldn't give you the right to starve yourself or stay awake all the time. There are other ways to cope with your depression."

"B-but...I s-still f-feel...l-like I'm...th-the o-only...p-person here...!" Mario wailed.

"No, you're not, darling," Peach reassured Mario. "You have Luigi, your brother out of all people. He loves you so much. And you have me, your girlfriend. Think about it: the love of your life, always there for you even though Bowser kidnaps me almost all the time. There's Toadsworth, who's like a second father to me just like he's the same for you too. All the Toads that serve me, they care about you so much. They even look up to you for advice." Mario took a couple deep breaths.

"And to top it all off, in your original world, you have hundreds of millions of fans who also look up to you," Peach went on. "They've played your video games and related to family and friends having paid close attention to the plotlines. Your fans love you so much like all of us at the Mushroom Kingdom do for you."

"Okay..."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Peach offered. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Yeah... I need to..."

Mario and Peach got up and headed to the kitchen where Peach made Mario scrambled eggs and bacon.

"Thank you, Princess Peach," Mario said, having calmed down completely.

"You're welcome, Mario. I could tell you were really hungry." Peach sat next to Mario at the dining table.

"I don't know why I said I was the only person in the world, but it felt that way to me."

"I understand," Peach said. "When a great friend of yours leaves to live a new life, it's hard to accept his departure. I'm sure it was hard for Jim to leave you and Luigi behind."

"Yeah. He was crying just like I was earlier," Mario responded. "You weren't there to see it, though."

After a half minute of silence, Mario asked, "Has there been a friend of yours who left to live another life?"

"Yes," Peach replied. "There was the princess of Seaside Kingdom, Princess Coral, who I've known since I was three years old. She was like an older sister to me, given she was born a year earlier. Her mother died a year and a half ago from hepatitis and Coral had to replace her as queen of Seaside Kingdom. Coral promised she would keep in touch with me frequently, but she procrastinated so much to the point where I felt depressed too. But I didn't starve myself or stay awake all night. What I did to calm myself down was to go as far away from the Mushroom Kingdom as possible and vacation for a couple weeks to relieve my stress."

"So, what does that mean?" Mario asked.

"Well, I suggest you do the same. Think about where you want to go to. It could be anywhere in your original world. It could be in another kingdom besides this one."

Mario closed his eyes for a few minutes to come up with potential places to visit. Finally, a lightbulb went off in his head. "Princess Peach?"

"Yes, Mario?"

"I think I know just the place to go to."

* * *

_*TWO DAYS LATER*_

"You're welcome, Mario. I'm glad you're enjoying your meal."

Mario had just thanked a flight attendant who had served him dinner. More than a day ago, Mario packed a suitcase with half of his belongings and took off for the JFK International Airport in New York, where he flew to Los Angeles and got on a Boeing 777 aircraft bound for Sydney, Australia. Mario had never been to Sydney before and wanted to see what it was like there.

At the present time, it was night outside and the plane was flying west above the Pacific Ocean. After ten minutes, Mario finished his dinner and took out a video camera that he stowed in a carry-on bag he brought with him in addition to his suitcase. Mario turned on the camera and pointed it toward him with the intention of recording a message for Luigi.

"Hi, bro. It's-a me. You probably know by now that I'm not in the pad or anywhere in the Mushroom Kingdom. Not too long ago, I packed some stuff and left for the JFK Airport. And here I am, flying over the Pacific in a 777 plane headed for Sydney. Yes, I'm vacationing in Australia for ten days. Why? Because after Jim left for good, I was feeling like I had empty nest syndrome and I couldn't eat or sleep for three days straight. Luckily, Princess Peach suggested I take a break at a faraway place to chill out, so that's what I'm doing. Thank you for understanding me, Luigi. I'm just doing what I need to do to relieve my stress." Mario let out a sigh.

"All right-y. I'm gonna go now. I love you, bro." Mario turned off the camera and put it back in his carry-on bag. He would connect it to a laptop he had stored in his pad's basement and send the video message to Luigi after arriving at his hotel.

12 hours later, Mario landed at Sydney Airport and picked up his suitcase before taking a taxi to a downtown hotel. The taxi driver was surprised to see Mario in real life but understood why he was in Sydney.

After settling in his hotel, Mario decided to relax in his own room for the rest of the day and got up early the next morning to start walking around the city.

At approximately 10 AM, Mario found himself walking near the Sydney Opera House and was awed at seeing it in person.

"Mamma mia..." Mario murmured. "I'd love to see a show in there sometime this week."

Suddenly, a kid's voice called out from behind, "Mario!"

Mario turned to see a seven-year-old boy hurry toward him and waved hello with his fingers. But just as he kneeled, Mario looked at the boy's face and harked back to when he first met Jim.

_*TEN YEARS AGO*_

_Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi walked out of the castle, which happened to be their residence._

"_Looks like a lovely day to go for a walk," Mario said._

"_Yeah. Nothing like spending a half-hour out and about in the fields," Luigi replied._

* * *

_At around the same time Mario and Luigi exited the castle, Jim hid behind a tree to the left-hand side of the front door and peered at them for a brief second. This was his chance to officially meet his favorite video game characters._

"_Mario!" Jim called out after showing himself. Mario and Luigi stopped in their tracks and turn to see Jim next to the tree._

"_Oh, hello, my friend! How are you today?" Mario asked as he knelt and waved to Jim. Jim walked up to Mario and Luigi, excited as can be._

"_I'm so excited to see you! I'm one of your biggest fans!"_

"_That's great! I'm so happy to see you too!" Mario said as Jim gave him a hug._

_*PRESENT DAY*_

Just as Mario visualized Jim hugging him, the boy hugged Mario without him knowing it. During the flashback, Mario compared the boy with Jim and cried while returning the hug.

"Mario? What's wrong, mate?" the boy asked.

"Y-you remind...m-me of my...b-best friend..." Mario cried before the boy let go of him.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Y-your f-face... You l-look...exactly l-like th-this...k-kid named J-Jim...!"

"Jim? Who is he?" the boy questioned before Mario took a deep breath.

"His name is Jim Heeding... I first met him when he was seven years old in the Mushroom Kingdom..." Mario explained. "He told me he was me and Luigi's biggest fan..."

"That's nice. Did Jim help you save Princess Peach?"

"He did. Jim may have been a young boy, but he showed how brave he was and did the final attack that defeated Bowser." Mario stopped to think about something. "What's your name, my friend?"

"Jason."

"I'm so happy to meet you, Jason," Mario greeted Jason before shaking his hand.

"Me too, mate. I'm sorry you got upset."

"Don't be. I got myself upset," Mario said.

"How?"

"I had a flashback of when Jim hugged me the minute he said hi and I cried at the same time you hugged me too," Mario explained.

"I understand, Mario. Where is Jim right now?"

"Well, he's in high school with his dream job being an author. But not just any author. He wants to write books that can have the readers relate to the characters. He's in the middle of writing his first novel, which talks about his first time adventuring with us to save Princess Peach in this paradise called Dinosaur Land."

"Dinosaur Land... I think I've heard of that island," Jason said. "I remember watching this cartoon called _Super Mario World_ where you, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Yoshi lived at for the whole series."

"But that show was based off a video game with the same name, Jason," Mario added in. "Have you played that game before?"

"No, but I know what it was like for you except for Jim being a part of the adventure in real life," Jason replied.

"Thank you. Anyway, three days ago, after this party at Princess Peach's castle, Jim had to go back to school and made himself clear that he would NOT be able to go back to the Mushroom Kingdom because of his commitment. Not that he doesn't want to, though."

"That makes sense. I know you miss Jim a lot."

"Yeah. He was like a second brother in addition to Luigi," Mario said. "That's what made me upset was that it felt like a family member died in front of me."

"I'm sorry, Mario. I'm sure he'll call you every now and then," Jason reassured Mario.

"No. I don't think that's gonna happen," Mario responded. "He may remember the fun times we had together, but I have a feeling he'll unlist me and Luigi's contacts but not delete them."

"Come on. You know that's not true, mate. Why would he unlist you if you are his best friend?"

"I don't know. It was the first thing came to me."

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Jason asked.

"Well... Yeah. You're gonna find this weird, but after the party ended, I couldn't eat or sleep for three days and I felt like I was the only person in the world. But Princess-"

"The only person in the world?" Jason interrupted Mario. "How could you say that?"

"I just felt lonely. That was how I described it to Princess Peach."

"And what did she say?" Jason asked.

"She reassured me that Luigi, the Toads, her steward, and even herself are all there for me and love me so much. She also said that there are millions of fans that look up to me as a hero."

"You're right. We all do," Jason said. "If all of us on Earth have played your games or watched the cartoons that showed your adventures, then that means they also care about you. Even those who don't like video games and have other interests can talk about other people who look up to them, but they understand your situation in terms of who loves you. Speaking of which, has Jim given you advice?"

"Not to me. He did to Luigi," Mario answered. "When Luigi wasn't feeling himself, he felt like everyone was against him, but Jim reminded him that he was not alone like you just said to me."

"How nice of him. This goes to show how great of a friend Jim's become," Jason explained. "The more advice he gives to you and Luigi, the stronger your friendship is."

"Thank you, Jason. It really means a lot," Mario thanked Jason.

"No problem, mate."

"Jason!" a female voice called out. Jason turned to see his mom approaching him and Mario.

"Sorry, Mum. I saw Mario over here and I wanted to meet him."

"I see. But next time, tell me where you're going," Jason's mom said.

"Sure."

"You know, since you're with Mario, how about I take a few pictures of you two?"

"That would be lovely!" Mario exclaimed with joy, having been motivated by Jason. He stood back up and put his left arm around Jason while doing the V-sign with his right hand. Jason also did the V-sign before his mom shot about three pictures of him and Mario.

"It was nice meeting you, mate," Jason said before hugging Mario goodbye.

"You too, Jason. Thank you again."

"You're welcome, Mario. I hope I'll see you again soon." Jason and his mom walked the way Mario came, leaving him on his own again. Mario looked down Port Jackson Bay and imagined a ferry full of tourists waving at him.

"Jason's right," Mario sighed with relief. "Everyone loves me."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**All right. That's a wrap for "Mario & Luigi: The Seven Star Spirits". Thank you for reading this story and for supporting me as a FanFiction writer who came a long way from lumping paragraphs together to conveying emotion to the characters I write about. Special thanks to mariobroultimate and StarlitDuck for their support too. Stay tuned for more game adaptations and/or original stories in the coming days, and this is nintendoscript15 signing out.**


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